[ad_1]
A well-researched copy of Not a Good Day to Die, which chronicles how US forces almost broke away from the fighting in Afghanistan at the start of the war, lies on a bed in a deserted US barracks at Kabul airport .
On a side table are two water bottles, two empty casings and a smoke grenade. A bottle of Tabasco hot sauce – a US Army staple – sits on top of another.
In a separate room, an overwhelming smell of rotten food permeates as a Taliban fighter armed with an M16 rifle takes pictures on his cell phone.
A month after the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, signs of 20 years of US-led occupation are still visible at Kabul airport, including clear evidence of Washington’s humiliating exit .
American medical kits, vests, shoes, mattresses, toilet paper, documents and other items are strewn throughout the military quarters of the airport, not yet disposed of by the new rulers of the devastated country.
“The Taliban takeover was unimaginable… but the exit of the United States was truly unthinkable,” said an Afghan security guard who had a front row seat in the pullout operation on the civilian side of the airport.
The panic and confusion as the Taliban entered the capital was evident, he said.
“It was the first time I saw American soldiers like this.”
The state of what was left behind testifies to the panicked exit.
In a field clinic in the American camp, next to a small fire station, first aid kits hang on sandbags a few meters from an outdoor gym, a volleyball court -ball court and a meeting room with red chairs that looks like an indoor cinema.
A strong smell of disinfectant rises from the rooms, where the boxes of medical supplies are still intact and the folding beds covered with gray sheets are left open.
In part of the military side of the airport this week, dozens of damaged planes and vehicles were cordoned off by Taliban barricades made of everything from umbrellas to folding metal chairs.
Abandoned Afghan military uniforms litter the floors of hangars filled with helicopters riddled with bullets.
Standing next to a small plane with no doors, a Taliban fighter looks at the broken windows and says in a loud voice with a smile: “Boom, boom, boom.
[ad_2]
Source link
