Taliban Tells Afghans Not to Fear: Rampant Gunfire in Kabul Are ‘Shots of Joy’ at U.S. Exit

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid issued statements in the early morning hours of Tuesday local time, asserting that the last American military forces in the country had left and assuring Kabul residents that gunfire and shouting in the city was the result of “joy” at the development.

The Pentagon confirmed the full withdrawal of U.S. troops from the country on Monday, hitting the August 31 deadline imposed by President Joe Biden this year. Biden changed the original deadline, May 1, that predecessor Donald Trump had set in an agreement with the Taliban, prompting the jihadist organization to declare the peace agreement void and take over the country.

“The last American occupier withdrew from (Kabul Airport) at 12 o’clock and our country gained its full independence, praise and gratitude be to Allah,” Mujahid wrote in a statement on Twitter.

In a separate message, he urged residents of Kabul to not be “worried” by city-wide gunfire and shouting.

“The sounds of gunfire in Kabul are shots of joy at the withdrawal of U.S. troops,” Mujahid asserted. “The voices of shouting are the product of joy.” – READ MORE