Taliban declares day last US soldier left Afghanistan national holiday

ISTANBUL

The Taliban administration declared Saturday that the day the last US soldier left Afghanistan will be a national holiday.

The decision taken by the Council of Ministers was announced in a statement by the administration office of the Taliban interim government.

It was announced that Aug. 31, the day when US forces completely withdrew from Afghanistan, was declared a national holiday.

With inconclusive negotiations between the government and the Taliban, conflicts between the parties intensified in the summer of 2021, and the Taliban began to take control of the cities one by one.

In parallel, foreign powers within NATO had accelerated the withdrawal of their troops.

Thus, the US invasion of Afghanistan, which started Oct. 7, 2001, ended with the withdrawal of the last US soldier Aug. 31, 2021.