KABUL – The image of the American general who, lastly, boarded the plane which, with its take-off, marks the end of twenty years of mission in Afghanistan, went around the world. He is Christopher Donahue: 17 US military missions in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, North Africa and Eastern Europe. And the image, tweeted by the U.S. Department of Defense, was taken at night: the commander of the 82nd Airborne Division (which is part of the 18th Airborne Corps based in Fort Bragg, North Carolina) walks alone, with his weapon in his right hand, ready to board C-17 with the Kabul airport hangar in the background, just before the deadline set by the United States for evacuations (and the ultimatum of the Taliban).  (more…)