Celebratory gunfire was heard across Afghanistan’s capital Kabul after the last US troops pulled out of the country where it had arrived 20 years back for waging a war on terror in the aftermath of the terrorist attack in American in September 2001. A senior official of the hardline Sunni Islamist militia Taliban exulted that his group has “made history” by ending the 20-year occupation of the US and its North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) partner countries.

“We made history again. The 20-year occupation of Afghanistan by the United States and Nato ended tonight,” said Anas Haqqani, a senior official in the Taliban movement, in a tweet.

“I am very happy that after 20 years of jihad, sacrifices & hardships I have this pride to see these historic moments,” he posted,

Meanwhile, the US has said it has, along with its western allies, disabled scores of aircraft and armored vehicles as well as a high-tech rocket defense system - worth millions of dollars in American taxpayers' money - at Kabul airport before it left Monday.

However, General Kenneth McKenzie, commander of the United States Central Command, said the Pentagon has left behind around 70 MRAP armored tactical vehicles that it disabled before leaving, and 27 Humvees.

The US also left behind the C-RAM system -- counter rocket, artillery, and mortar -- that was used to protect the airport from rocket attacks.

(SAM)