Fort Bragg commander last to leave Afghanistan, ending America's longest war

The last American soldier to leave Afghanistan was Major Gen. Chris Donahue, commander of the 82nd Airborne Division. He boarded the final Airforce plane to leave Kabul on Monday, ending the U.S. mission in Kabul.

The departure of the U.S. cargo planes marked the end of a massive airlift in which tens of thousands of people fled Afghanistan, fearful of the return of Taliban rule after the militants took over most of the country and rolled into the capital earlier this month.

“The last five aircraft have left, it's over!” said Hemad Sherzad, a Taliban fighter stationed at Kabul's international airport. “I cannot express my happiness in words. ... Our 20 years of sacrifice worked.”

As soldiers wrapped up their missing in Kabul, Fort Bragg held its annual Run, Honor, Remember 5K on Monday night to honor those who are deployed throughout the world.

Most of the paratroopers running against the sunset at Fort Bragg were only toddlers when the U.S. invaded Afghanistan after the Sept. 11, 2001, which al-Qaida orchestrated while sheltering under Taliban rule. The invasion drove the Taliban from power in a matter of weeks and scattered Osama bin Laden and other top al-Qaida leaders.

"I remember I was a little kid when it happened. I was literally going to first grade," said Airborne trooper Nicholas Attarian.

"The teacher pulled up the news. They were one of the first units to go in, now they're one of the last units to pull out," he said, about Fort Bragg's 82nd Airborne Division.

Specialist Attarian was deployed to Afghanistan in 2019, and he's acutely aware of his role in history.

"It was a big story that was left in Afghanistan," he said. "I had a big part in it, and there were others who had even bigger part in it."

In Washington on Monday, Gen. Frank McKenzie, head of U.S. Central Command, announced the completion of America's longest war and the evacuation effort, saying the last planes took off from Kabul airport at 3:29 p.m. EDT — one minute before midnight Monday in Kabul.

“We did not get everybody out that we wanted to get out," he said.

With its last troops gone, the U.S. ended its 20-year war with the Taliban back in power. Many Afghans remain fearful of their rule or of further instability, and there have been sporadic reports of killings and other abuses in areas under Taliban control despite the group's pledges to restore peace and security.

"If you look at the 82nd Airborne. it has this long rich history, and now we're part of this closing chapter in the war in Afghanistan." said Major Russell Gordon, who served two tours in Afghanistan. "It's something the American people expect of us."

Now the Taliban control all of Afghanistan except for the mountainous Panjshir province, where a few thousand local fighters and remnants of Afghanistan's collapsed security forces have pledged to resist them. The Taliban say they are seeking a peaceful resolution there.