WASHINGTON — The last U.S. military airplane has left Afghanistan.
The final chapter of America's longest war came with United States Central Command announcing that all U.S. forces had left the country.
"Every single U.S. service member is now out of Afghanistan, I can say that with 100 percent certainty," said General Kenneth McKenzie, Commander, United States Central Command.
McKenzie continued: "There's a lot of heartbreak associated with this departure. We did not get everybody out we wanted to get out. But I think if we would've stayed another 10 days, we wouldn't have gotten everybody out we wanted to get out. And there still would have been disappointment with that."
The ending came following one of the largest airlift operations in world history, with 123,000 people evacuated from Afghanistan via U.S. military-directed flights.
"The numbers speak for themselves," said Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby. "122,000-plus, that is significant. And a lot of lives saved and a lot of lives now in a better place and they're going to have opportunities they couldn't have had before."
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said fewer than 200 Americans remain in Afghanistan who want to leave. He said the U.S. will continue to try to get them out.
Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Virginia) traveled to the Army's Fort Lee, where he met with Afghan evacuees who are part of the State Department's Special Immigrant Visa program, awaiting resettlement.
"If Americans saw what I just saw, I think they would feel extremely positive," said Kaine.
He said the United States will continue working to evacuate people, but now in a different manner.
"I think the mission, the end of August, changes the Afghanistan mission, from a military-first mission into a State Department, DHS diplomacy-first mission," he said.
On Sunday, the U.S. conducted what the Pentagon called a "self-defense" drone strike that blew up a vehicle carrying "multiple suicide bombers" from Afghanistan's Islamic State affiliate.
The Washington Post and New York Times report there were 10 civilian casualties, including children. A Pentagon spokesman said they're not in a position to dispute those numbers.
"We are aware of reports of civilian causalities and we take these reports very seriously, and we are continuing to assess the situation," said Major General Hank Taylor, Deputy Director of the Joint Staff.
The military's final stages of evacuation came Monday, one day after President Joseph R. Biden traveled to Dover, Delaware, to pay respects to the 13 American military personnel killed in last week's ISIS-K suicide bombings.
Biden plans to address the nation on Tuesday on his decision to leave Afghanistan.
In a statement, he said: "It was the unanimous recommendation of the Joint Chiefs and of all of our commanders on the ground to end our airlift mission as planned. Their view was that ending our military mission was the best way to protect the lives of our troops, and secure the prospects of civilian departures for those who want to leave Afghanistan in the weeks and months ahead."