<p>Hours after the final foreign forces flew out of Afghanistan, Taliban leaders walked victorious through the airport, flanked by guards dressed in special forces combat kit inspecting destroyed US helicopters.</p>.<p>Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid led a group of officials onto the runway, his usual stoic expression replaced by broad grin.</p>.<p>The Taliban's so-called "Badri 313" special forces unit posed for pictures, brandishing US rifles and flying the group's white flag.</p>.<p>Once one of the most secure sites in Afghanistan, the airport's passenger terminal was trashed.</p>.<p><strong>Also Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/international/leaving-afghanistan-us-generals-ghostly-image-books-place-in-history-1025400.html" target="_blank">Leaving Afghanistan, US general's ghostly image books place in history</a></strong></p>.<p>Empty bullet casings littered floor near all the entrances.</p>.<p>After the Taliban entered the capital on August 15, the airport was surrounded by vast crowds trying to get their way onto an evacuation flight -- but many more were blocked by a ring of Taliban checkpoints.</p>.<p>On Tuesday, all checkpoints, bar one, had been removed from the road leading to the airport.</p>.<p>The mood had changed too.</p>.<p>Taliban guards were in high spirits, shaking hands with drivers and passengers.</p>.<p>Ensuring the security of Kabul's Hamid Karzai International Airport is a key issue, and the Taliban have repeatedly said they would not accept any foreign military presence in Afghanistan.</p>.<p>Dozens of aircraft and military helicopters stood empty, wrecked by American forces in a final act before they flew away.</p>.<p><strong>Also Read — <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/international/world-news-politics/what-happens-now-that-us-troops-have-left-afghanistan-1025316.html" target="_blank">What happens now that US troops have left Afghanistan?</a></strong></p>.<p>Before the last US troops left, they disabled scores of aircraft and armoured vehicles -- as well as a high-tech rocket defence system -- at the airport, a US general said.</p>.<p>Cockpit windows had been smashed, and aircraft tyres shot out.</p>.<p>Central Command head General Kenneth McKenzie said 73 aircraft were "demilitarised," or rendered useless, by US troops before they wrapped up the two-week evacuation of the Taliban-controlled country.</p>.<p>He said the Pentagon, which built up a force of nearly 6,000 troops to occupy and operate Kabul's airport when the airlift began on August 14, left behind around 70 MRAP armoured tactical vehicles -- which can cost up to $1 million apiece -- that it disabled before leaving, and 27 Humvees.</p>.<p>The US also left behind the C-RAM system -- counter rocket, artillery, and mortar -- that was used to protect the airport from rocket attacks.</p>.<p>The system helped fend off a five-rocket barrage from the Islamic State group on Monday.</p>.<p><strong>Check out DH's latest videos:</strong></p>
<p>Hours after the final foreign forces flew out of Afghanistan, Taliban leaders walked victorious through the airport, flanked by guards dressed in special forces combat kit inspecting destroyed US helicopters.</p>.<p>Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid led a group of officials onto the runway, his usual stoic expression replaced by broad grin.</p>.<p>The Taliban's so-called "Badri 313" special forces unit posed for pictures, brandishing US rifles and flying the group's white flag.</p>.<p>Once one of the most secure sites in Afghanistan, the airport's passenger terminal was trashed.</p>.<p><strong>Also Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/international/leaving-afghanistan-us-generals-ghostly-image-books-place-in-history-1025400.html" target="_blank">Leaving Afghanistan, US general's ghostly image books place in history</a></strong></p>.<p>Empty bullet casings littered floor near all the entrances.</p>.<p>After the Taliban entered the capital on August 15, the airport was surrounded by vast crowds trying to get their way onto an evacuation flight -- but many more were blocked by a ring of Taliban checkpoints.</p>.<p>On Tuesday, all checkpoints, bar one, had been removed from the road leading to the airport.</p>.<p>The mood had changed too.</p>.<p>Taliban guards were in high spirits, shaking hands with drivers and passengers.</p>.<p>Ensuring the security of Kabul's Hamid Karzai International Airport is a key issue, and the Taliban have repeatedly said they would not accept any foreign military presence in Afghanistan.</p>.<p>Dozens of aircraft and military helicopters stood empty, wrecked by American forces in a final act before they flew away.</p>.<p><strong>Also Read — <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/international/world-news-politics/what-happens-now-that-us-troops-have-left-afghanistan-1025316.html" target="_blank">What happens now that US troops have left Afghanistan?</a></strong></p>.<p>Before the last US troops left, they disabled scores of aircraft and armoured vehicles -- as well as a high-tech rocket defence system -- at the airport, a US general said.</p>.<p>Cockpit windows had been smashed, and aircraft tyres shot out.</p>.<p>Central Command head General Kenneth McKenzie said 73 aircraft were "demilitarised," or rendered useless, by US troops before they wrapped up the two-week evacuation of the Taliban-controlled country.</p>.<p>He said the Pentagon, which built up a force of nearly 6,000 troops to occupy and operate Kabul's airport when the airlift began on August 14, left behind around 70 MRAP armoured tactical vehicles -- which can cost up to $1 million apiece -- that it disabled before leaving, and 27 Humvees.</p>.<p>The US also left behind the C-RAM system -- counter rocket, artillery, and mortar -- that was used to protect the airport from rocket attacks.</p>.<p>The system helped fend off a five-rocket barrage from the Islamic State group on Monday.</p>.<p><strong>Check out DH's latest videos:</strong></p>