NEW DELHI: The United States announced it has completed its withdrawal ending its engagement in Afghanistan which lasted for 20 years and claimed the lives of at least 2,400 US service members.

"I want to thank our commanders and the men and women serving under them for their execution of the dangerous retrograde from Afghanistan as scheduled – in the early morning hours of August 31, Kabul time – with no further loss of American lives. The past 17 days have seen our troops execute the largest airlift in US history, evacuating over 120,000 US citizens, citizens of our allies, and Afghan allies of the United States. They have done it with unmatched courage, professionalism, and resolve. Now, our 20-year military presence in Afghanistan has ended', said US President Joe Biden.

President Biden had set August 31 as the final date for US personnel to leave Afghanistan. The US military was able to achieve the withdrawal objective with nearly a day to spare amid confusion and terror strikes at Kabul airport.
"I'm here to announce the completion of our withdrawal from Afghanistan and the end of the military mission to evacuate American citizens," US General Kenneth McKenzie said.

General McKenzie said the US left Afghanistan "at 1929 GMT Monday-just before the start of Tuesday in Kabul."
President Biden is due to address the nation today amid the US pullout from Afghanistan.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the country had "gained full independence" as the US officially left the country.

The evacuation flights have taken more than 123,000 people out of Kabul airport, according to McKenzie.
The regional Islamic State-Khorasan (IS-K) group, rivals of the Taliban, posed the biggest threat to the withdrawal, after carrying out a suicide bombing outside the airport last week that claimed more than 100 lives, including those of 13 US troops.
On Monday, they claimed to have fired six rockets at the airport. A Taliban official said the attack was intercepted by the airport's missile defence systems.

Before the US withdrawal was confirmed, the UN Security Council adopted a resolution requiring the Taliban to honor their commitment to let people freely leave Afghanistan in the days ahead, and to grant access to the UN and other aid agencies, but did not create a "safe zone" in Kabul.