Last US plane leaves Kabul to end 20-year bloody occupation

According to CNN, the US departure marks the end of a fraught, chaotic, and bloody exit from the United States' longest war.

The last US military planes have left Afghanistan, Gen. Frank McKenzie, the commander of US Central Command [designated as a terrorist organization in Iran], announced Monday at the Pentagon.

"I'm here to announce the completion of our withdrawal from Afghanistan, and the end of the military mission to evacuate American citizens, third-country nationals, and vulnerable Afghans," McKenzie told reporters.

"The last C-17 lifted off from Hamid Karzai International Airport on August 30th, this afternoon, at 3:29 p.m. East Coast time, and the last manned aircraft is now clearing the airspace above Afghanistan."

"There's a lot of heartbreak associated with this departure," McKenzie said. 

"The past 17 days have seen our troops execute the largest airlift in US history, evacuating over 120,000 US citizens, citizens of our allies, and Afghan allies of the United States. They have done it with unmatched courage, professionalism, and resolve," the US President said in the statement. 

RHM/PR