Fifth anniversary of US military withdrawal from Afghanistan - in pictures

  • A US soldier points his gun at an Afghan passenger at Kabul airport on August 16, 2021, after the Taliban's swift takeover of the capital, as thousands of people attempt to flee the group's hardline Islamist rule. AFP
    A US soldier points his gun at an Afghan passenger at Kabul airport on August 16, 2021, after the Taliban's swift takeover of the capital, as thousands of people attempt to flee the group's hardline Islamist rule. AFP
  • Taliban fighters celebrate in Kandahar on September 1, 2021, after the US pulls its troops out of Afghanistan after nearly 20 years. AFP
    Taliban fighters celebrate in Kandahar on September 1, 2021, after the US pulls its troops out of Afghanistan after nearly 20 years. AFP
  • US Marines honour fellow service members killed in action during a ramp ceremony at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul on August 27, 2021. Reuters
    US Marines honour fellow service members killed in action during a ramp ceremony at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul on August 27, 2021. Reuters
  • Afghans desperate to flee the Taliban climb on top of a Kam Air plane at Kabul airport on August 16, 2021. AFP
    Afghans desperate to flee the Taliban climb on top of a Kam Air plane at Kabul airport on August 16, 2021. AFP
  • Internally displaced Afghan refugee women queue up at the UNHCR camp on the outskirts of Kabul to identify themselves and get money as they return home to the east, in July 2022. AFP
    Internally displaced Afghan refugee women queue up at the UNHCR camp on the outskirts of Kabul to identify themselves and get money as they return home to the east, in July 2022. AFP
  • Afghan citizens inside a military aircraft at an undisclosed location during an evacuation from Kabul, in a photo taken on August 19 and released on August 20, 2021. Reuters
    Afghan citizens inside a military aircraft at an undisclosed location during an evacuation from Kabul, in a photo taken on August 19 and released on August 20, 2021. Reuters
  • President Barack Obama during a surprise visit to US troops at Bagram Air Field, north of Kabul, on May 25, 2014. AFP
    President Barack Obama during a surprise visit to US troops at Bagram Air Field, north of Kabul, on May 25, 2014. AFP
  • Taliban soldiers celebrate near the US embassy on the second anniversary of the fall of Kabul, in August 2023. Reuters
    Taliban soldiers celebrate near the US embassy on the second anniversary of the fall of Kabul, in August 2023. Reuters
  • A US soldier investigates the scene of a Taliban suicide attack that set several Nato military vehicles ablaze at the Afghan-Pakistan border crossing in Nangarhar province, on June 19, 2014. AFP
    A US soldier investigates the scene of a Taliban suicide attack that set several Nato military vehicles ablaze at the Afghan-Pakistan border crossing in Nangarhar province, on June 19, 2014. AFP
  • Afghan children play outside temporary shelters in Kabul, in October 2009. EPA
    Afghan children play outside temporary shelters in Kabul, in October 2009. EPA
  • Blindfolded insurgents are presented to media after being captured by security forces in Kandahar, in March 2012. AFP
    Blindfolded insurgents are presented to media after being captured by security forces in Kandahar, in March 2012. AFP
  • An operation by US soldiers at Zangabad base in Panjwai district, Kandahar, after roadside bombs were detonated at Naja-bien village, in September 2012. AFP
    An operation by US soldiers at Zangabad base in Panjwai district, Kandahar, after roadside bombs were detonated at Naja-bien village, in September 2012. AFP
  • US president Joe Biden observes a moment of silence for the dead as he delivers remarks about Afghanistan from the White House, on August 26, 2021. Reuters
    US president Joe Biden observes a moment of silence for the dead as he delivers remarks about Afghanistan from the White House, on August 26, 2021. Reuters
  • A US Marine comforts a baby while waiting for the mother during the August 2021 evacuation at Kabul airport. Reuters
    A US Marine comforts a baby while waiting for the mother during the August 2021 evacuation at Kabul airport. Reuters
  • An Afghan farmer walks past as US soldiers keep guard while troops seal a canal running through Highway 1 on the outskirts of Kandala village in Kandahar on August 6, 2011, as part of a mission to secure strategic roads against the placement of improvised explosive devices by Taliban insurgents. AFP
    An Afghan farmer walks past as US soldiers keep guard while troops seal a canal running through Highway 1 on the outskirts of Kandala village in Kandahar on August 6, 2011, as part of a mission to secure strategic roads against the placement of improvised explosive devices by Taliban insurgents. AFP
  • US servicemen before their departure to Afghanistan from the US transit centre Manas airport, 30km outside Kyrgyzstan's capital Bishkek, on March 27, 2012. AFP
    US servicemen before their departure to Afghanistan from the US transit centre Manas airport, 30km outside Kyrgyzstan's capital Bishkek, on March 27, 2012. AFP
  • US soldiers lead Afghan prisoners suspected of being Taliban during Operation Dragon Fury in the Shahi Knot mountains in eastern Afghanistan, in June 2003. AFP
    US soldiers lead Afghan prisoners suspected of being Taliban during Operation Dragon Fury in the Shahi Knot mountains in eastern Afghanistan, in June 2003. AFP
  • An Afghan boy sells flags of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan on August 13, 2026, ahead of the fifth anniversary of the Taliban's return to power. EPA
    An Afghan boy sells flags of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan on August 13, 2026, ahead of the fifth anniversary of the Taliban's return to power. EPA