The United States' 20-year military mission in Afghanistan has ended.
The first clear indication that the evacuation operation had wrapped up was when the Federal Aviation Administration sent a notice declaring that Kabul's Hamid Karzai International Aiport is "now uncontrolled" (the Taliban would likely beg to differ with that assessment) and warning that any aircraft operating into or out of the city "should use extreme caution."
Not long after that, Gen. Kenneth McKenzie, the commander of U.S. Central Command, issued an official statement on the matter. He revealed that the last U.S. military plane carrying Maj. Gen. Chris Donahue and U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Ross Wilson aboard departed from the airport at 3:29 p.m. ET. McKenzie clarified that while military operations are complete, "the diplomatic mission to ensure additional U.S. citizens and eligible Afghans who want to leave continues."
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And so with that, the United States is no longer at war in Afghanistan. However, as several people pointed out, the conflict in the country is far from over.
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