On the day the last troops left Afghanistan, Habibullah Omari also flew out of Kabul. His journey to Texas took him through Tajikistan, Germany and Virginia. After nearly three months of travel, Omari landed in Austin on Nov. 27, 2021.
PUBLISHED 8:42 PM CDT Aug. 15, 2022AUSTIN, Texas — One year ago, on Aug. 15, the United States began its withdrawal from Afghanistan. American troops were out of the country by the end of that month. The 20-year-war was over.
“A lot of people died over there. A lot of civilians died over there,” Omari said. “So that was the good plan that they took out all those people. War is done. There is no more war.” Rep. Tony Gonzales recalled this group photo at the Kandahar Airfield. "The bond that you have with your brothers and sisters that you serve with never, never ends." “Those that fought alongside us, our allies, absolutely deserve our energy and our attention in making sure that their lives are saved, essentially,” Rep. Gonzales said.
Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-District 35, said there’s an “incredible level of bureaucracy” involved in helping individuals come to the U.S. from Afghanistan. Rep. Doggett said other leaders were involved in the U.S. departure from Afghanistan, in addition to President Biden. “The bond that you have with your brothers and sisters that you serve with never, never ends,” Rep. Gonzales said.