Major General Chris Donahue was the head commander of the Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force-Afghanistan before he took charge of the 82nd Airborne Division last year, said the US Army.
Ending a brutal 20 year-long fight in Afghanistan, the US evacuated its last troops from the Kabul international airport on Monday night. An image shared by the Department of Defense showed Army Major General Chris Donahue, the last American to leave Afghan land as the C-17 Globemaster III departed from the Kabul airport.
Sharing a photo of the leaving soldier, the department of defence on Twitter, wrote, "The last American soldier to leave Afghanistan: Maj. Gen. Chris Donahue, commanding general of the 82nd Airborne Division boards on US Air Force C-17 on August 30th, 2021, ending the US mission in Kabul.”
Gen Donahue in the photo is seen with his weapon and no expression on his face. The scene has a spooky green hue to it as the photo was taken through a night-vision lens. He was the commanding general of the All American Division, XVIII Airborne Corps.
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Who is General Chris Donahue?
Major General Donahue, who was the last US soldier to come out of Kabul was the commanding officer of the 82nd Airborne Division. It comes under the Fort Bragg, North Carolina-based 18th Airborne Corps of the US Army. The officer was stationed this month in Kabul to secure the airport as the US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan was approaching, which was set on August 31 by Biden, after the Taliban took control over the capital city.
In 1992, General Donahue graduated from the United States Military Academy and was selected as the second lieutenant.
In his military career, Donahue has been 17 times deployed to command and oversee operations on foreign lands such as Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, North Africa and Eastern Europe. The major’s career achievement also includes assignments in the Pentagon, where he was serving as the special assistant to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and had also commanded the special operations for the joint task Force-Afghanistan for Operation Freedom’s guard.
The image of the officer shared by the Pentagon has now become viral, which was taken when he was preparing to board the departing C-17 airplane.
The other assignments undertaken by Donahue include the United States Army Infantry School at Fort Benning, Deputy Commanding General (manoeuvre) of the 4th Infantry Division at Fort Carson. He has also served as the Deputy Director for Special Operations and Counterterrorism; worked as the Joint Staff for J-37 and supervised the Resolute Support Mission, 2019-2020.
The US forces invaded Afghanistan as an outcome of the 9/11 attacks in 2001 for anti-terror operations that toppled the Taliban. In the following years, the American military stayed in the nation and took on the task of nation-building by providing financial aid, building educational institutes, and trained Afghan forces to fight the Taliban militants. However, the Taliban emerged victorious in occupying the country on August 15, which swiftly came amid the withdrawal of the US forces and its allies as it was agreed.
Also Read: 10 people including children, killed in US airstrike in Kabul: Report
Joe Biden thanked the US army.
On Monday, US President Joe Biden had announced the end to the most difficult evacuation operations from Afghanistan, showing appreciation to the US servicemen for executing a dangerous evacuation that was slowing down. This marks the end of a 20-year long, US mission in the war-torn nation.
"They have done it with unmatched courage, professionalism, and resolve. Now, our 20-year military presence in Afghanistan has ended," reads Biden's statement according to a White House release.