Over 24 hours in Kabul, brutality, trauma, moments of grace

By TAMEEM AKHGAR, MATTHEW LEE, LOLITA C. BALDOR, RAHIM FAIEZ and CALVIN WOODWARD
Associated Press

The Afghanistan war ended with an odd unity between sworn enemies — the Taliban and the Americans. They both had the goal of getting the United States out. And they both had a stake in the evacuation operation after a deadly attack by a common foe — an offshoot of the Islamic State group. As witnessed by Associated Press reporters in Kabul, and as told by people AP interviewed from all sides, the war ended with episodes of brutality, enduring trauma, a massive if fraught humanitarian effort — and goodbye waves instead of bullets from the Taliban now in control.