The Last Soldier To Leave Afghanistan Is General Commanding 82nd Airborne

All U.S. troops stationed in Afghanistan have finally left the country, with the last soldier to depart identified as the commander of the U.S. Army 82^nd Airborne Division, XVIII Airborne Corps.

Major Gen. Chris Donahue was photographed as the last service U.S. service member to exit Afghanistan. In a handout provided by the U.S. Central Command, Maj. Gen. Donahue can be seen boarding a C-17 cargo plane at the Hamid Karzai International Airport, marking the end of the U.S.’s longest war lasting 20 years.

The flight that took Donahue and the remaining U.S. troops out of Afghanistan also carried U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Ross Wilson. At a media briefing, U.S. Central Command chief Gen. Kenneth McKenzie confirmed that “every single U.S. service member is out of Afghanistan, I can say that with absolute certainty.” The flight departed from the airport at 3:29 p.m. ET, McKenzie noted.

The XVIII Airborne Corps posted Donahue’s photo on Twitter. “In awe of our Sky Dragon Soldiers. This was an incredibly tough, pressurized mission filled with multiple complexities, with active threats the entire time. Our troops displayed grit, discipline and empathy,” the post read.

President Joe Biden said in a statement released Monday afternoon that ending the military mission in Afghanistan before the expected due date of Aug. 31 was “the best way to protect the lives of our troops” and to ensure the “prospects” of civilians who will evacuate the troubled country in the coming weeks and months, CBS reported.

Concerns about Afghan allies still in Afghanistan have been on the rise over the past weeks. McKenzie said diplomatic efforts to help evacuate the remaining Americans and eligible Afghans who helped the U.S. military over the past years will continue, Military Daily news reported. Earlier estimates by the military said that only a few hundred American civilians remain in the country.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the government is communicating with allies, citing Qatar and Turkey in particular, on how the Kabul airport will be reopened as quickly as possible to ensure the safe travel of those still wanting to leave Afghanistan, CNN reported. Blinken added that with the final withdrawal of U.S. forces in the country, “a new diplomatic mission has begun.” Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said that as of Monday, more than 122,000 people have been evacuated from the Kabul airport since July.

The U.S. spent an estimated $2 trillion to build up the Afghanistan military and thousands of American troops were killed over the past two decades in the country. But the Taliban now controls most major cities in Afghanistan.