US withdrawal is now a national holiday in Afghanistan
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Afghans have a new national holiday to celebrate the end of the nearly 20-year occupation of Afghanistan.
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US soldiers lowering the US national flag during a handover ceremony to the Afghan National Army in Helmand province, May 2, 2021. (AFP)
The last US soldier left the Afghan capital on August 31, 2021, marking the end of nearly 20 years of brutal occupation, which led to never-ending costs of lives and dollars. Some 66,000 Afghan troops and 48,000 civilians were killed during that period.
Almost 2 years now, Afghanistan declared August 31 an annual public holiday. Last year, the war-torn country celebrated the first anniversary of the US withdrawal from Afghanistan. At the time, rallies were held in Kabul's Massoud Square in front of the former US embassy.
The withdrawal left everyone involved distraught and confused. The international community saw it as a failure for Washington and its allies, and it raised concerns about the future of Afghanistan under the Taliban after the United States ravaged every part of the Afghan economy and left it in ruins through two decades of war.
Despite it all, Afghanistan is attempting to rebuild itself under the Taliban, who are seeking diplomacy as a method of eradicating all the issues the nation is now experiencing, from poverty and malnutrition to unemployment. Although there are still US sanctions in place against Afghanistan, which will limit its success.
