Last US military aircraft leaves Kabul ending 20-year Afghanistan war

The last US military aircraft departs Hamid Karzai International Airport at 11:59 PM Kabul time, officially ending the United States' 20-year military presence in Afghanistan. Over the 17-day evacuation, the US airlifts 124,000 people, Americans, Afghans, and third-country nationals. The withdrawal is among the most consequential and controversial decisions of the Biden presidency. The total cost of the Afghanistan war is estimated at $2.3 trillion over 20 years, with 2,461 US military deaths and more than 20,000 wounded. Biden defends the decision as necessary, stating "I was not going to pass this war on to a fifth president." Critics argue the chaotic collapse vindicated those who warned against the withdrawal timeline.