Afghanistan, 2021: Afghan & US military perspectives as the last soldier leaves

TITLE PLACEHOLDER | GZERO World

Two decades of war in Afghanistan came to a tragic close on August 31 as President Joe Biden announced from the White House that the last US troops had left the country. "I was not going to extend this forever war," Biden said, "and I was not extending a forever exit." On GZERO World, we hear from three people whose lives have been forever changed by the conflict. First, a women's education activist hiding from the Taliban inside Afghanistan, moving every night for her own safety. Then, the former Afghan Central Bank governor, now in exile who barely made it out (and lost a shoe in the process). And finally, a former US Army Captain and CIA intelligence officer whose life was saved by his Afghan interpreter and who is now in a desperate race to help Afghans and their families get out of the country.

More from GZERO Media

France's President Emmanuel Macron welcomes Ursula von der Leyen before an informal summit of European leaders to discuss the situation in Ukraine and European security at The Elysee Presidential Palace in Paris on Feb. 17, 2025.
Magali Cohen/Hans Lucas via Reuters Connect

Ahead of a meeting Tuesday in Saudi Arabia between representatives of the US and Russia to discuss ending the war in Ukraine, French President Emmanuel Macron convened an emergency meeting in Paris of European leaders on Monday.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shake hands as they make joint statements to the press at the Prime Minister's office in Jerusalem on Feb. 16, 2025.
Reuters/Evelyn Hockstein

When it comes to the future of Gaza, the only thing regional players agree on is that they don’t agree.

Taiwan's flag with a semiconductor.
Paige Fusco

The US State Department last week scrubbed a statement from its website that said it doesn’t support Taiwan’s independence, sparking fury in China, which called on the United States to reinstate the message. Taiwan Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung appreciated the removal.

Luisa Vieira

US President Donald Trump says he will soon meet with the leaders of Russia and China to discuss arms control and a proposal to slash all three countries’ military budgets in half. We look at the top military spenders in the world and break down what the Pentagon spends its money on.

Congolese civilians who fled from Bukavu, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, following clashes between M23 rebels and the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, carry their belongings as they gather at the Rusizi border crossing point to return home, in Rusizi district, Rwanda, on Feb. 17, 2025.
REUTERS/Stringer
Wooden gavel.
Photo by Wesley Tingey on Unsplash

The Trump administration on Sunday asked the US Supreme Court to give the green light to its effort to remove Office of Special Counsel leader Hampton Dellinger, a Biden appointee whose job is to protect federal workers who report illicit activities within the government.

- YouTube

On GZERO World with Ian Bremmer, Palestinian UN Ambassador Riyad Mansour reacts to Trump’s proposal to take over Gaza and discusses the Palestinian right to return and the broader challenges of rebuilding and achieving a two-state solution.