Taliban Declare Victory in Afghanistan as American Forces Pull Out

Taliban extremists stand guard inside the Hamid Karzai International Airport after the U.S. withdrawal in Kabul, Afghanistan on Aug. 31, 2021. Kathy Gannon/AP Photo

The Taliban on Tuesday celebrated the departure of U.S. military forces by shooting in the air at the Kabul airport and declaring victory.

Video footage posted online showed members of the Taliban, designated by many federal agencies as a terrorist organization, entering the airport armed with U.S. rifles and gear. It came just moments after the Americans carried out their final evacuation flight, with the U.S. Central Command’s Gen. Frank McKenzie announcing the official end of the 20-year-long conflict.