Remnants of New York City’s most horrific hour will likely remain behind in Afghanistan even as the final American troops leave the struggling nation after 20 years, according to reports.
New York firefighters and police officers delivered debris from the World Trade Center at Bagram Air Base in December 2001, just days after the Taliban was toppled for harboring Sept. 11 terror mastermind Osama Bin Laden.
A steel beam from the World Trade Center was erected at the base after being donated by residents of Breezy Point Queens in 2010. It has since become a base landmark, emblazoned with “WTC” stacked on top of “9 11 01.”
And a 9/11 memorial at Kabul International Airport, also containing a fragment from the World Trade Center, was dedicated by U.S. Air Force personnel in 2012.
The last US troops left Bagram on Friday. President Biden said that all American personnel will be out of Afghanistan by Sept. 11, the 20th anniversary of the attacks.
The future of the memorials is uncertain as the Taliban reasserts authority over Afghanistan in the vacuum left by America’s departure.
“We consider this withdrawal a positive step. Afghans can get closer to stability and peace with the full withdrawal of foreign forces,” said Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid, reported Reuters.
Kabul resident Javed Arman also welcomed America’s departure, but lamented: “We are in a difficult situation. Most people have fled their districts and some districts have fallen. Seven districts in Paktia province have fallen and are now under Taliban control.”
Politicians and intelligence experts fear the troop departure will cripple American counter-terrorism efforts.
“When the time comes for the US military to withdraw, the US government’s ability to collect and act on threats will diminish. That’s simply a fact,” CIA Director William Burns said in April.
“You may not be blind, but you’re going to be legally blind,” Rep. Mike Waltz (R-Florida), a former Green Beret who served in Afghanistan, recently said of reduced American intelligence capabilities.
