The Afghan caretaker government has declared August 15, the day of the administration's takeover of Kabul, as the victory day and a public holiday in the war-ravaged country.

"Tuesday, Asad 24, 1402 (August 15 according to the Persian Calendar) is the victory day of the Jihad (holy war) of the people of Afghanistan under the leadership of Islamic Emirate against the United States and its allies. It will be a public holiday in the country," said a statement released by the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs on Sunday.

The U.S.-led NATO troops, which invaded Afghanistan under the excuse of fighting terrorism in 2001 and deposed the then-Taliban regime led by Mullah Mohammad Omar Mujahid, left the country following the resistance of Taliban forces under the leadership of Mawlawi Hibatullah Akhundzada in August 2021.

(Cover: A U.S. Chinook helicopter flies over the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, August 15, 2021. Helicopters are landing at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul as diplomatic vehicles leave the compound amid the Taliban advancement on the Afghan capital. /CFP)