The U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, ordered by President Joe Biden, was completed on August 30, 2021, ending America’s longest war after nearly 20 years of military involvement.
The decision to withdraw was influenced by an agreement signed between the Trump administration and the Taliban in February 2020, known as the Doha Agreement, which set the stage for the U.S. to leave Afghanistan by May 2021.
However, when Biden took office, he extended the deadline to August 31, 2021, arguing that a swift exit would be chaotic but maintaining that continuing the war was no longer in the U.S.’s strategic interest.
Biden announced the plan to withdraw all American troops by September 11, 2021, the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, which prompted the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan in 2001. This date was later moved up to August 31, 2021.
August 15, 2021: The Taliban rapidly advanced and captured Kabul, the Afghan capital, leading to the collapse of the U.S.-backed Afghan government. President Ashraf Ghani fled the country.
August 15 – August 30, 2021: A massive and chaotic evacuation was carried out from Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul. Over 120,000 people, including U.S. citizens, Afghan allies, and other foreign nationals, were evacuated.
August 26, 2021: A suicide bombing outside the Kabul airport, claimed by the ISIS-K terrorist group, killed 13 U.S. service members and over 170 Afghan civilians, intensifying the chaos of the evacuation process.
August 30, 2021: The last U.S. military plane departed from Kabul, officially ending the U.S. military presence in Afghanistan.
The withdrawal was widely criticized for its disorderly execution, the rapid Taliban takeover, and the abandonment of U.S. military equipment worth billions of dollars.
Biden defended his decision, arguing that extending the war would not have led to a different outcome and emphasizing the need to end America’s longest war. However, he faced bipartisan criticism for the manner of the withdrawal.
This event marked a significant geopolitical shift, affecting U.S. credibility among allies and changing the dynamics of power in the region, with the Taliban regaining control over Afghanistan after two decades.
