IEA marks 1st anniversary of America’s withdrawal

The first anniversary of the withdrawal of the United States and its allies in Afghanistan was celebrated Wednesday at a special ceremony at Bagram Air Base outside Kabul with senior officials of the Islamic Emirate in attendance.

Among those present was the IEA’s Prime Minister Mullah Mohammad Hassan Akhund.

At the ceremony, Akhund called on the world, especially the United States, to not repeat the “bitter experiences of the past twenty years” and to interact with the new government of Afghanistan.

“The world should come to negotiations to resolve problems instead of making excuses for creating more (problems); the Islamic Emirate is ready to talk to them,” said Akhund.

Akhund said the problems in Afghanistan have been caused by the “destructive actions of America and its allies in the past two decades.”

The ceremony also included a military drill, with soldiers marching in a parade and different military vehicles and equipment left behind by foreign forces and the previous government showcased.

In a statement on the occasion of the one-year anniversary of the IEA’s takeover, the Islamic Emirate stated that policies, pressure and threats against the Afghan people over twenty years by the US military failed and led to the escalating crisis.

According to the statement, the Islamic Emirate urged the international community to adopt a reasonable policy towards Afghanistan and to respect the independent Islamic system and the will of the people so that Afghanistan, as an independent nation, may have normal relations and positive interaction with the world.

Last year on this day, August 31, foreign forces led by the US and NATO were defeated and expelled from Afghanistan after twenty years of military presence.

At Wednesday’s ceremony, the Islamic Emirate emphasized that it will no longer allow any country to have a military presence in Afghanistan and will establish relations with countries based on national interests only through diplomatic means.