KABUL, Aug 31, 2021 (BSS/AFP) - The United States has pulled all its troops

out of Afghanistan, ending its longest war to cries of shame at home and
celebratory gunfire from its victorious Taliban enemies in Kabul.

  The last of the American troops overseeing a desperate evacuation effort
flew out of Kabul airport on Monday night, completing a withdrawal that has
raised deep questions about the United States' status as a superpower.

  Taliban fighters quickly swept into the airport and fired weapons into the
sky in jubilation, celebrating an astonishing victory for the hardline
Islamist movement two decades after US forces invaded Afghanistan and toppled
them from power.

  However, the Taliban will inherit a devastated country despite the United
States spending billions to rebuild it, with deep poverty, drought and
Islamic State threats among the many challenges.

  For the Afghan people, many are terrified of a repeat of the Taliban's
initial rule from 1996-2001, which was infamous for their treatment of girls
and women, as well as a brutal justice system.

  The withdrawal came just before the end of an August 31 deadline set by
President Joe Biden to call time on America's longest war -- one that
ultimately claimed the lives of more than 2,400 US service members.

  The early finish followed a threat from the regional offshoot of the
Islamic State group, rivals of the Taliban, which was seeking to attack the
US forces at the airport.

  Thirteen US troops were among more than 100 people killed when an IS
suicide bomber late last week attacked the perimeter of the airport, where
desperate Afghans had massed in hope of getting on board an evacuation
flight.

  More than 123,000 people were evacuated from Kabul aboard the US-led
airlift operation, which began just after the Taliban swept into the capital
on August 14.

  - 'Staggering' -

  Biden said he would address the nation on Tuesday in Washington, as his
critics continued to savage him for his handling of the withdrawal.

  "We can't fight endless wars, but the scope & consequence of Biden's
failure here is staggering," Republican Senator Rick Scott said.

  "President Biden has brought great shame on the American people," added
congressman Richard Hudson.

  Biden's top diplomat, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, was able to offer
little more than stern words for the Taliban.

  "Any legitimacy and any support will have to be earned," Blinken said, as
he announced the United States had suspended its diplomatic presence in Kabul
and shifted its operations to Qatar.

  In Kabul, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said Afghanistan had "gained
full independence" with the US withdrawal.

  Anas Haqqani, a senior Taliban official, said he was "proud" to witness
"these historic moments".

  AFP correspondents in the city heard celebratory gunfire from several
Taliban checkpoints, as well as the cheers of fighters manning security posts
in the Green Zone.

  - Airport uncertainty -

  All eyes will now turn to how the Taliban handles its first few days with
sole authority over the country, with a sharp focus on whether it will allow
other foreigners and Afghans to leave the country.

  Blinken said a small number of US citizens remained in the country --
"under 200" but likely closer to just 100 -- and wanted to leave.

  Many thousands of other Afghans who had worked with the US-backed
government and fear retribution also want to get out.

  Western allies have voiced heartbreak in recent days that not all Afghans
who wanted to flee could get on the evacuation flights.

  The UN Security Council adopted a resolution Monday, requiring the Taliban
to honour a commitment to let people freely leave Afghanistan in the days
ahead, and to grant access to the UN and other aid agencies.

  But they did not agree to call for the creation of a "safe zone" in Kabul,
as envisaged by French President Emmanual Macron.

  Talks are ongoing as to who will now run Kabul airport.

  The Taliban have asked Turkey to handle logistics while they maintain
control of security, but President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has not yet accepted
that offer.

  It was not immediately clear which airlines would agree to fly in and out
of Kabul.

  - Civilian deaths -

  The regional Islamic State-Khorasan (IS-K) group had posed the biggest
threat to the withdrawal after it carried out the devastating suicide bombing
outside the airport last week.

  On Monday, they also claimed to have fired six rockets at the airport. A
Taliban official said the attack was intercepted by the airport's missile
defence systems.

  And in an echo of the tragedies of civilian deaths that plagued the war and
cost the United States local support, a US air strike in Kabul targeting a
purported IS car bomb on the weekend appeared to have killed children.

  The United States said Sunday it had carried out a drone strike against a
vehicle threatening the Kabul airport.

  Members of one family told AFP they believed a fatal error had been made,
and that 10 civilians were killed.

  "My brother and his four children were killed. I lost my small daughter...
nephews and nieces," Aimal Ahmadi told AFP.