The US military destroyed planes, armor and an anti-missile defense system before completely leaving Kabul airport on Monday evening (30). The information was confirmed by the head of the central command of the American forces, General Kenneth McKenzie.
The country’s troops, who were to complete their withdrawal on Tuesday (31), anticipated and left, in the last plane, at 11:59 p.m. local time (4:29 p.m. Brasilia) on Monday. The evacuation operation has rescued 122,000 people since August 14, the day before the takeover of the Afghan capital by the Taliban.
The last flights did not carry civilians; in the latter, the last to board were Ambassador Ross Wilson and General Chris Donahue, commander of the country’s military forces on Afghan soil – a photo shows as he prepares to board the plane.
With the departure of the Americans, the Taliban forces consolidate the return to power in Afghanistan after 20 years. Spokesmen for the group celebrated what they called independence. One of the questions that remain about the formation of this new government — let alone the promises of moderation, which have not always been kept — is its real power.
According to McKenzie, before completing the troop withdrawal, US soldiers “demilitarized” 73 planes. “These devices will never fly again, they will not be usable,” he said.
The Pentagon had deployed 6,000 troops to occupy and maintain Kabul airport since August 14, and left 70 landmine-resistant armored vehicles, worth $ 1 million each, and 27 Humvee, a kind of vehicle. military utility, on site. . All this equipment has been deactivated, according to the general.
The US military also left behind a missile defense system, which stopped five rockets fired at the airport on Monday morning. The action was claimed by EI-K (Islamic State Khorasan), the Afghan branch of the notorious terrorist group, responsible for the attack which killed nearly 200 people last Thursday (26).
“We decided to let these systems run until the last minute,” just before the last plane took off, McKenzie said.
In recent days, with the chaos seen at Kabul airport, with Afghans rushing for an escape route and threats – in addition to the bombardment itself – disrupting rescue operations, the States- United continued to coordinate closely with the Taliban, assessed by the White House. like a lesser evil.
Other than McKenzie’s count of unused items, there is no estimate of the arsenal left behind by the country. Some of the materiel of the relatively well-equipped Afghan armed forces is now also under Taliban control.
The extremist group even has an air force, which has taken over some of the Brazilian Super Tucano fighters whose pilots were unable to escape.