Home » Afghanistan, Blinken: “After the military mission, now the diplomacy”. The Taliban: “The US defeat is a lesson for the other invaders”

Afghanistan, Blinken: “After the military mission, now the diplomacy”. The Taliban: “The US defeat is a lesson for the other invaders”

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WASHINGTON. “A new chapter of America’s engagement in Afghanistan has begun. We will conduct it with diplomacy: the military mission is over and a new diplomatic mission has begun ». Words of the Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, in his final message on the mission in Afghanistan, a few hours after the departure of the last military plane from Kabul. During the briefing, Bliken reported that the diplomatic representation has been moved from Kabul to Doha and “America’s work in Afghanistan continues: we have a plan for the future and we are putting it into action”.

“We will demand – underlines Blinken – that the Taliban respect their commitment to freedom of movement for foreign citizens, visa holders and Afghans at risk. The international position on this is strong and will remain strong ”, he guarantees. “We continue to honor all those brave men and women from the United States and many other countries who have risked or sacrificed their lives as part of this long mission in Afghanistan to date,” he concluded.

Afghanistan, the last flights departed from Kabul: at the airport they celebrate with gunshots and fireworks

After the take-off of the last flight, the Taliban celebrated with fireworks and firing dozens of rifle shots in the air to celebrate what they already call “our independence day”.

Blinken thanked the allies for the commitment of these 20 years, underlining how “this operation has been an absolute global undertaking. Many countries have made a robust contribution. Some offered support for transit by allowing evacuees to process visas to their final destination. Others have agreed to welcome the Afghans permanently and we hope to host others in the future ”. The US secretary of state then explained that “the United States will discuss with G7 members, including Italy, and the president of the European Union, how to reopen Kabul airport for civilian flights”. It will be joint work, he says. Finally, Blinken summarized that 120,000 people were evacuated, underlining that “the world has seen how the challenge was met” and reiterating: “We will never forget the sacrifice of our fallen”.

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The exultation of the Taliban after the last US take-off

After the last American soldier left Kabul, the Taliban cheered, celebrating and firing machine guns into the sky. And they immediately took full control of the airport. “The defeat of the Americans is a lesson for the other invaders,” their spokesman said.

Thus ends the longest American war, a war that has shown that weapons do not bring democracy to poor and deeply divided societies. A war wanted by the George W. Bush administration, which Presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump both recognized as “a lost cause”. At the Pentagon, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and General Mark Milley witnessed the last 90 minutes of the military departure in real time from an operations room in the basement: according to a US source, they sat in silence as they watched troops who carried out the checks in the last few minutes, rendered the main defense systems unusable and boarded the C-17s. When the last plane took off, they breathed a sigh of relief.

The last soldier to leave Kabul
The photo of the last soldier is destined to remain in history: it shows a soldier walking away, with the rifle clutched in his right hand, before boarding the C-17 which took off just before midnight, Kabul time: it is Major General Chris Donahue, who together with Ambassador Ross Wilson symbolically closed the mission.

Afghanistan, rockets against Kabul airport: the machine from which the missiles would have started

Who remained in Afghanistan
But the problems remain, starting with those who remained in Afghanistan. This morning, looking at the local reports, there were still some desperate people waiting at the eastern gate of the airport, waiting to enter. At the moment, however, commercial airlines do not fly into the airport and it is not clear who will manage it. Nor is it known how those who are left will be able to get out and do not want to be on the ground. The gigantic airlift put in place since August 14, when the Taliban took power, saved 123,000 people. Six thousand of them are Americans, but Blinken admitted that between 100 and 200 Americans who would like to leave still remain in the country. And then there are the thousands of Afghans who have worked with the allies for years and have not been able to leave. The US and the international community expect the Taliban to keep their promise to let them go. Biden is under fire of criticism, the Republicans are even calling for his impeachment. Instead, he promises: another page opens, which puts the US in a position of strength to face the challenges of the future, starting with the balance of China.

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