Taliban declares the day of US departure a national holiday

The Taliban administration has in a recent Pashto statement declared the last US troop’s departure from Afghanistan, which took place on 31 August 2021, as a national holiday.

The statement stated that the decision was taken by the Taliban’s Council of Ministers in its recent cabinet meeting in the capital Kabul.

The final US military flight left the capital on 31 August 2021 amid a chaotic evacuation effort, officially ending the US and NATO’s 20-year war in Afghanistan and signifying the return of the Taliban to power.

The last US soldier to leave Afghanistan was Major General Chris Donahue. His photo with night vision optics showing him stepping on a C-17 transport plane at the Kabul airport promptly went viral.

The US claims to have evacuated at least 120,000 from Afghanistan after the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021 while thousands await resettlement amid uncertainty.