Departure Day

Departure Day in Afghanistan marks August 31, when the final United States military flight left Kabul airport in 2021 and the two-decade international military presence formally ended. It should not be confused with August 15 Victory Day, which marks the Taliban entry into Kabul and collapse of the former republic. The interval between those dates included a chaotic evacuation and a deadly attack at Abbey Gate; Afghans therefore remember August 31 through very different experiences of departure, relief, separation and loss.

The de facto cabinet first treated the anniversary as a holiday and in June 2023 approved a labour-ministry proposal to place 9 Sunbula, normally August 31, in the national calendar as a public holiday. That primary cabinet record provides the clearest legal-status evidence. The de facto foreign ministry’s Abu Dhabi mission also lists Departure Day in its 2026 Afghanistan schedule. ACBAR’s shorter current list omits it, demonstrating why that operational list should not be assumed exhaustive.

Official commemorations describe the date as the end of foreign occupation. Recording that official designation does not require adopting it as a complete account of the war or evacuation. Families of civilians, former service members, evacuees, people unable to leave and communities affected by two decades of fighting may attach incompatible meanings to the day. Government offices close, and ceremonies or security measures can affect movement. This calendar does not create a substitute day when August 31 falls on Friday because no general current rule has been verified.