Minutes after US military forces completed their withdrawal from Afghanistan, armed Taliban fighters were seen entering a hangar at the Hamid Karzai International airport in Kabul where four heavy-duty Chinook helicopters are stationed.
The video captured by LA Times journalist Nabih Bulos shows members of the Taliban donning US military gear, including ballistic vests and helmets, entering a formerly Washington-controlled hanger to examine the helicopters left behind by the US.
As the last US soldier departed on a Boeing C-17 Globemaster before dawn on Tuesday, celebratory gunfire echoed across Kabul after the Taliban took complete control of the airport. The hasty withdrawal ended 20 years of America’s war in Afghanistan.
US central command chief Kenneth McKenzie assured on Monday that Washington had demilitarised some of the military equipment in Afghanistan, which they were unable to bring back.
“The last US soldier has left Kabul airport and our country gained complete independence,” Taliban spokesman Qari Yusuf was quoted as saying.
Several Afghan nationals are trying to flee their country fearing for their lives over the collapse of law and order since the Taliban takeover of capital Kabul on 15 August.
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