Day 1 of the end of the US war in Afghanistan By Thomas Gibbons-Neff New York Times,Updated May 3, 2021, 5:20 p.m. Email to a Friend (Kandahar Dispatch) KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan â On the morning of May 1, an Afghan transport aircraft landed at this sprawling military base in the countryâs south. It was loaded with mortar shells, small-arms cartridges, and 250-pound bombs to supply Afghan troops under frequent attack by the Taliban in the countryside. Later, at midnight, a gray US C-130 transport aircraft taxied down the same runway, marking the end of the first official day of the US militaryâs withdrawal from Afghanistan. The cargo plane was filled with munitions, a giant flat screen television from a CIA base (known as Camp Gecko), pallets of equipment, and â in the real signal of the impending end of a long occupation â departing American troops. It was one of several aircraft that night removing what remained of the US war here.