The event, which marked the third anniversary of the Islamist militant group’s return to power, was held at the base President Joe Biden ordered abandoned during the withdrawal.The Taliban held a military parade at Bagram Air Force Base, showcasing equipment left behind by the United States during the Biden administration's chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.
BREAKING:
The Taliban showcased American military equipment left behind after the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in a military parade. pic.twitter.com/8WNUGfyzRQ
— Globe Eye News (@GlobeEyeNews) August 14, 2024 Photos from the parade showed Taliban fighters trampling on American flags, which had been defaced with makeshift X’s.
On the 3rd anniversary of their return to power, Taliban fighters—now wielding both #Russian and #US arms—trample on the American flag🇺🇸. The event drew an estimated 10,000 attendees, including leaders of the Taliban. Speeches during the parade reaffirmed the group’s commitment to Islamic rule. “The Islamic Emirate eliminated internal differences and expanded the scope of unity and cooperation in the country,” said deputy prime minister Maulvi Abdul Kabir, using the term the Taliban use to describe their government. “No one will be allowed to interfere in internal affairs and Afghan soil will not be used against any country.” In April 2021, Biden announced that the U.S. military would withdraw from Afghanistan, the epicenter of the “War on Terror” for two decades following the 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center. Biden assured the American public that the withdrawal process would be “secure and orderly” and downplayed the possibility of a swift Taliban takeover, stating, “The likelihood there’s going to be the Taliban overrunning everything and owning the whole country is highly unlikely.” However, on Aug. 26, 2021, as the evacuation was underway, a suicide bomber and gunmen attacked crowds outside Kabul airport, killing more than 170 Afghans and 13 U.S. service members. Thousands of Afghans were desperately trying to flee the country after the Taliban’s rapid advance. Despite intelligence estimates that Afghan security forces could only hold off the Taliban for 30 days or less, the Biden administration left behind approximately $7 billion in military equipment. This included 78 aircraft, 9,524 air-to-ground munitions, 40,000 military vehicles, more than 300,000 weapons, nearly 42,000 pieces of night vision and surveillance equipment, around 17,500 pieces of explosive detection and personal protective equipment, and nearly all communications equipment provided to Afghan forces. As Time Magazine noted shortly after the withdrawal:
A complex aftermath of two decades of US war on terror. #Afghanistan #Taliban #US" pic.twitter.com/w2aSgkGJQV
— Zakarya HASSANI🗞 (@ZHassani7) August 14, 2024
Like a long-anticipated death, Americans knew this day would come, but the collapse was so sudden and complete that it was stunning when it finally did. It’s a reality difficult to fathom after nearly two decades of U.S. involvement in Afghanistan, more than 2,300 of its troops dead, more than 20,000 wounded, hundreds of thousands of Afghans maimed or killed and $2 trillion spent. On the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks this September, a Taliban flag will fly over Afghanistan.
