{"id":40406,"date":"2021-08-31T11:04:47","date_gmt":"2021-08-31T11:04:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/uncategorized\/2021\/08\/31\/taliban-declare-victory-from-kabul-airport-promise-security\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T07:50:15","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T07:50:15","slug":"taliban-declare-victory-from-kabul-airport-promise-security","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/flashpoints\/2021\/08\/31\/taliban-declare-victory-from-kabul-airport-promise-security\/","title":{"rendered":"Taliban declare victory from Kabul airport, promise security"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) \u2014 The Taliban triumphantly marched into Kabul\u2019s international airport on Tuesday, hours after <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/newsletters\/breaking-news-alert\/2021\/08\/30\/its-official-the-us-has-no-boots-on-the-ground-in-afghanistan\/\" target=\"_blank\">the final U.S. troop withdrawal <\/a>that ended America\u2019s longest war. Standing on the tarmac, Taliban leaders pledged to secure the country, quickly reopen the airport and grant amnesty to former opponents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a show of control, turbaned Taliban leaders were flanked by the insurgents\u2019 elite Badri unit as they walked across the tarmac. The commandos in camouflage uniforms proudly posed for photos.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Getting the airport running again is just one of the sizeable challenges the Taliban face in governing a nation of 38 million people that for two decades had survived on billions of dollars in foreign aid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAfghanistan is finally free,\u201d Hekmatullah Wasiq, a top Taliban official, told The Associated Press on the tarmac. \u201cThe military and civilian side (of the airport) are with us and in control. Hopefully, we will be announcing our Cabinet. Everything is peaceful. Everything is safe.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Wasiq also urged people to return to work and reiterated the Taliban pledge offering a general amnesty. \u201cPeople have to be patient,\u201d he said. \u201cSlowly we will get everything back to normal. It will take time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Just hours earlier, the U.S. military had wrapped up its largest airlift of non-combatants in history.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/flashpoints\/afghanistan\/2021\/08\/28\/here-are-the-names-of-the-13-service-members-who-died-in-afghanistan-attack\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"170\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/6800017.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Here are the names of the 13 U.S. service members killed in Afghanistan attack<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Thirteen U.S. service members died Thursday in Kabul, Afghanistan, supporting Operation Freedom\u2019s Sentinel.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On Tuesday morning, signs of the chaos of recent days were still visible. In the terminal, rifled luggage and clothes were strewn across the ground, alongside wads of documents. Concertina wire stills separated areas while overturned cars and parked vehicles blocked routes around the civilian airport \u2014 a sign of measures taken to protect against possible suicide car bombers entering the facility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Vehicles carrying the Taliban raced back and forth along the Hamid Karzai International Airport\u2019s sole runway on the military side of the airfield. Before dawn broke, heavily armed Taliban fighters walked through hangars, passing some of the seven CH-46 helicopters the State Department used in its evacuations before rendering them unusable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid addressed the gathered members of the Badri unit. \u201cI hope you be very cautious in dealing with the nation,\u201d he said. \u201cOur nation has suffered war and invasion and the people do not have more tolerance.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At the end of his remarks, the Badri fighters shouted: \u201cGod is the greatest!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In an interview with Afghan state television, Mujahid also discussed restarting operations at the airport, which remains a key way out for those wanting to leave the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cOur technical team will be checking the technical and logistical needs of the airport,\u201d he said. \u201cIf we are able to fix everything on our own, then we won\u2019t need any help. If there is need for technical or logistics help to repair the destruction, then we might ask help from Qatar or Turkey.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He didn\u2019t elaborate on what was destroyed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Marine Gen. Frank McKenzie, the head of U.S. military\u2019s Central Command, earlier said troops disabled 27 Humvees and 73 aircraft so they cannot be used again. He said troops did not blow up equipment needed for eventually restarting airport operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The airport had seen chaotic and deadly scenes since the Taliban blitzed across Afghanistan and took Kabul on Aug. 15. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/opinion\/commentary\/2021\/08\/14\/living-in-fear-of-the-taliban-a-letter-from-a-former-afghan-translator\/https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/opinion\/commentary\/2021\/08\/14\/living-in-fear-of-the-taliban-a-letter-from-a-former-afghan-translator\/\" target=\"_blank\">Thousands of Afghans besieged the airport<\/a>, some falling to their death after desperately hanging onto the side of an American C-17 military cargo jet. Last week, an Islamic State suicide attack at an airport gate killed at least 169 Afghans and 13 U.S. service members.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During the evacuation, U.S. forces helped evacuate over 120,000 U.S. citizens, foreigners and Afghans, according to the White House. Coalition forces also evacuated their citizens and Afghans. But for all who got out, foreign nations and the U.S. acknowledged they didn\u2019t evacuate all who wanted to go.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2021\/08\/27\/just-one-more-inside-the-massive-military-community-effort-to-save-afghans\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/zachmartin.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">\u2018Just one more\u2019: Inside the massive military community effort to save Afghans<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Thousands of veterans have worked tirelessly to evacuate Afghans and Americans from Kabul. Even when the last flight leaves next week they vow to continue.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On Tuesday, after a night that saw the Taliban fire triumphantly into the air, guards now blearily on duty kept out the curious and those still somehow hoping to catch a flight out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAfter 20 years we have defeated the Americans,\u201d said Mohammad Islam, a Taliban guard at the airport from Logar province, cradling a Kalashnikov rifle. \u201cThey have left and now our country is free.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt\u2019s clear what we want. We want Shariah (Islamic law), peace and stability,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Zalmay Khalilzad, the U.S. special representative who oversaw America\u2019s talks with the Taliban, wrote on Twitter that \u201cAfghans face a moment of decision &amp; opportunity\u201d after the withdrawal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cTheir country\u2019s future is in their hands. They will choose their path in full sovereignty,\u201d he wrote. \u201cThis is the chance to bring their war to an end as well.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But the Taliban face what could be a series of major crises as they fully take over the government. The majority of the billions of dollars Afghanistan holds in foreign reserves is now frozen in America, pressuring its now-depreciating Afghani currency. Banks have implemented withdrawal controls, fearing runs on their deposits in the uncertainty. Civil servants across the country say they haven\u2019t received their salary in months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"339\" height=\"240\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AfghanTalibantakeoverHKIA2.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-80368\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AfghanTalibantakeoverHKIA2.jpg.jpg 339w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AfghanTalibantakeoverHKIA2.jpg.jpg?resize=300,212 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 339px) 100vw, 339px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Taliban officials are seen inside the Hamid Karzai International Airport after the U.S. withdrawal in Kabul, Afghanistan, Tuesday, Aug. 31, 2021. The Taliban were in full control of Kabul&#8217;s international airport on Tuesday, after the last U.S. plane left its runway, marking the end of America&#8217;s longest war. (AP Photo\/Kathy Gannon)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Abdul Maqsood, a traffic police officer for the past 10 years on duty near the airport, said he hadn\u2019t paid for the past four months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe keep coming to work but we are not getting paid,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Medical equipment remains in short supply, while thousands who fled the Taliban\u2019s advance remain living in squalid conditions. A major drought also has cut into the country\u2019s food supplies, making its imports even more important and raising the risk of people going hungry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Also in question are the rights of women, who faced oppression under the Taliban\u2019s earlier rule.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Schools have reopened, and on Tuesday morning dozens of elementary school students headed to schools in a neighborhood near the airport. The Taliban have ordered schools to be segregated but it is often not enforced for younger children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI am not afraid of the Taliban,\u201d said Masooda, a fifth-grade student.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During the evacuation, U.S. forces helped evacuate over 120,000 U.S. citizens, foreigners and Afghans, according to the White House. Coalition forces also evacuated their citizens and Afghans. But for all who got out, foreign nations and the U.S. acknowledged they didn\u2019t evacuate all who wanted to go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><i>Akhgar reported from Istanbul. Associated Press writer Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, contributed to this report.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In a show of control, turbaned Taliban leaders were flanked by the insurgents\u2019 elite Badri unit as they walked across the tarmac.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":74646,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":8,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[101,8,23,93,12,25],"tags":[],"coauthors":[2180,3203],"class_list":["post-40406","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-flashpoints","category-home","category-middle-column","category-news","category-newsletters"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"CYR6QHGWYFHUHBOALT6ENWD3AA","arc_canonical_url":"\/flashpoints\/afghanistan\/2021\/08\/31\/taliban-declare-victory-from-kabul-airport-promise-security\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - 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