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2021 Kabul airlift

Large-scale evacuations of foreign citizens and some vulnerable Afghan citizens took place amid the withdrawal of US and NATO forces at the end of the 2001–2021 war in Afghanistan. The Taliban took control of Kabul and declared victory on 15 August 2021, and the NATO-backed Islamic Republic of Afghanistan collapsed. With the Taliban controlling the whole city except Hamid Karzai International Airport, hostilities ceased and the Taliban assisted in the evacuation effort by providing security and screening evacuees.[14][15]

Evacuation from Afghanistan (2021)
Part of the War in Afghanistan
Evacuees load on to a United Arab Emirates Air Force Boeing C-17 Globemaster III during the evacuation on 20 August 2021
Location
ObjectiveEvacuations of international diplomatic, military and civilian staff, including national civilians
Date13 August 2021 (2021-08-13) – 30 August 2021 (2021-08-30)
Executed by Australia
 Austria[1]
 Azerbaijan
 Belgium (Operation Red Kite)
 Canada (Operation AEGIS)
 Czech Republic[2]
 Denmark
 Finland
 France (Operation Apagan)[3]
 Germany
 Hungary (Operation Sámán)
 India (Operation Devi Shakti)
 Indonesia
 Ireland[4]
 Italy (Operation Aquila Omnia)[5]
 Japan (Operation RJNO)
 Lithuania[6]
 Luxembourg
 Mexico [7]
 Netherlands
 New Zealand (Operation Kōkako)
 Norway
 Pakistan[8]
 Philippines[9]
 Poland
 Portugal[10]
 Romania
 Russia
 Slovakia
 Slovenia
 Singapore[11]
 South Korea (Operation Miracle)
 Spain (Operation Antígona)[12]
 Sweden[1]
 Switzerland
 Turkey
 Ukraine
 United Kingdom (Operation Pitting)
 United States (Operation Allies Refuge and private activities)[13]
 Taliban (security and logistics)[14][15]
OutcomeOver 122,000 people have been airlifted abroad[16] and end of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)[17]
Casualties195+ killed[18][19][20]

Although some countries had previously begun small-scale evacuation efforts in the months leading up to August 2021, such as the American Operation Allies Refuge and the British Operation Pitting, the collapse of the Afghan government occurred sooner than intelligence projections had estimated, and evacuation efforts became more urgent. Several countries launched new evacuation operations, such Canada's Operation AEGIS, India's Operation Devi Shakti, and South Korea's Operation Miracle.[27]

The evacuation operations were one of the largest airlifts in history.[28][29] Between 14 and 25 August, the US alone evacuated about 82,300 people from Hamid Karzai International Airport,[30] including US citizens, Special Immigrant Visa applicants, and other vulnerable Afghans.[29] In total, over 122,000 people were airlifted abroad.[16] The evacuation was completed on August 30, one day before a deadline agreed upon with the Taliban.[31]

US embassy staff arriving in Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar from Afghanistan on 15 August 2021
A C-17 evacuating 823 passengers out of Kabul on 15 August

Background edit

Following the Afghan peace process, the Trump administration and Taliban signed the Doha Agreement in February 2020. Accordingly, the US agreed to withdraw all US forces from Afghanistan by 1 May 2021.[32][33] The Taliban failed to honor most of its pledges in the agreement.[33] Nonetheless, the Biden administration decided to continue with the planned withdrawal, although it pushed back the completion date first to 11 September 2021 and then to 31 August 2021.[32][34]

As the US withdrawal proceeded, the Taliban and allied militant groups began a widespread offensive on 1 May 2021.[35] In the ensuing months, the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan through a combination of negotiating wholesale surrenders of Afghan National Army units and their military offensive, capturing provincial capitals, and expanding their control from 77 districts on 13 April to 104 districts on 16 June to 223 districts on 3 August.[33] In July 2021, the US Intelligence Community estimated that the government of Afghanistan could collapse between six and 12 months after the departure of American troops.[36] Intelligence agencies later reduced the estimation to one month.[37]

However, the government collapsed within days, much more rapidly than many anticipated.[37] The Afghan National Army, poorly led and impaired by widespread corruption,[38] was left in chaos, having only two units remained operational by mid-August: the 201st Corps and 111th Division, both based in Kabul. Intelligence projections quickly worsened.[39] By 14 August, the Taliban had encircled Kabul. On 15 August, Kabul fell and the Taliban declared victory in the War in Afghanistan.[40]

As the Taliban seized control, the urgency to evacuate populations vulnerable to the Taliban, including those interpreters and assistants who had worked with the Operation Enduring Freedom; the International Security Assistance Force, Operation Freedom's Sentinel and the Resolute Support Mission; Hazara people; and vulnerable women and minorities, given the treatment of women by the Taliban, gained importance.

Timeline edit

13–14 August edit

After the Taliban seized all border crossings, Kabul Airport remained the only secure route out of Afghanistan.[41] After the fall of Herat on 13 August, the US deployed an additional 3,000 troops and the UK deployed 600 troops to Kabul Airport to secure the airlifts of their nationals, embassy staff, and Afghan citizens who worked with coalition forces.[41] US officials said at the time that all of their forces were still expected to leave Afghanistan by 31 August.[42] On 13 August, a memorandum was sent to all staff of the US embassy to reduce "items with embassy or agency logos, American flags or items which could be misused in propaganda efforts".[43] Diplomats were reported to be rapidly destroying classified documents and other sensitive materials.[41] Among the documents destroyed were the passports of Afghan civilians who had applied for visas.[44]

15–16 August edit

As the Taliban surrounded and began entering Kabul, US Army CH-47 Chinook, UH-60 Black Hawk and State Department Air Wing CH-46 Sea Knight helicopters began landing at the US embassy to carry out evacuations. A convoy of armored sport utility vehicles (SUVs) was seen departing the embassy grounds, and an attack helicopter was reportedly seen deploying flares in the area to defend against potential shoot-downs.[41] Along with the embassy personnel, 5,000 US troops and some NATO troops remained in the city.[45][46] The US government later authorized the deployment of 1,000 more troops from the 82nd Airborne Division to the airport, bolstering troop presence in Kabul to 6,000 to facilitate the evacuations.[47]

External videos
  A widely-shared video shows Afghans running alongside an airplane taking off at Kabul airport.
 
US Army 10th Mountain Division soldiers guarding the apron at Kabul Airport. Crowds of people can be seen in the background.

Panic spread among the civilian population as the Taliban seized the capital, with many citizens rushing to their homes or to the airport, which remained under NATO control after the Afghan government dissolved.[41][48][49] A chaotic situation developed as thousands of fleeing Afghan civilians rushed to Kabul Airport, with hundreds crowding the apron in an attempt to catch flights out of the city; some had climbed over boundary walls to enter the airport.[50][51] US soldiers hovered helicopters low overhead as crowd control, deployed smoke grenades, and occasionally fired warning shots into the air to disperse people attempting to forcefully board aircraft.[52][53][54] Video footage emerged showing hundreds of people running alongside a moving US Air Force C-17A transport plane taxiing toward the runway; some people could be seen clinging onto the aircraft, just below the wing. Others were running alongside "waving and shouting".[55] At least two people, in an apparent attempt to stowaway, were reportedly shown to "fall from the undercarriage immediately after takeoff". Another body was later found in the landing gear of the C-17.[56] One of the victims was identified as Zaki Anwari, who had played for Afghanistan's national youth football team.[57] Three bodies, including that of a woman, were also found on the ground outside near the passenger terminal building, but their cause of death was unclear, though some observers speculated they may have died during a stampede.[52][58] Seven people were eventually confirmed to have died during this stage—including two armed men shot after firing at US soldiers, according to the US Department of Defense (DOD). The soldiers were not injured, and the gunmen were not identified.[52][59]

At least 22 Afghan Air Force planes and 24 helicopters carrying 585 Afghan military personnel and their relatives had fled to Uzbekistan. One Afghan Embraer EMB 314 Super Tucano crashed after crossing the border, with Uzbek authorities issuing conflicting reports on the cause. Two Afghan military planes carrying over 100 soldiers also landed in the Tajikistan city of Bokhtar.[60]

About 8:30 p.m. local time, reports emerged that the US embassy was taking fire. The embassy issued a declaration instructing US citizens in the area to shelter in place.[61] Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced that the embassy would be relocated to the airport[62] as the DOD had taken over security and air traffic control there.[63] Various other nations had announced plans to evacuate their embassies, including Spain, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Denmark.[64][65][66] The German government announced that it was sending A400M Atlas aircraft with a contingent of paratroopers for evacuations, adding it would not seek the required parliamentary approval for the operation until after the mission was complete.[67] The Italian government was reported to have transferred its embassy staff as well as the families of 30 Afghan employees to Kabul airport under Carabinieri guard to prepare for evacuation.[68] India was reported to have had C-17 transport planes prepared to evacuate Indian diplomatic staff, but had anticipated that it would take longer for the Taliban to capture Kabul.[69] One group of Indian diplomats were escorted to the airport by the Taliban after negotiating the escort after having had their passage out of the Indian embassy blocked several times by the group.[70] Albania said it had accepted a US request to serve as a transit hub for evacuees.[71]

The Philippine government ordered the mandatory evacuation of Filipino nationals in Afghanistan through the auspices of the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Philippines Embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan (which is accredited to Afghanistan). Of the 173 Filipino nationals there, 78 agreed to accept the government's repatriation efforts while some accepted help from their companies.[9] The Philippine government also agreed to accept refugees from Afghanistan.[72]

A flight by Emirates Airlines to Kabul was diverted and later returned to Dubai,[73] and United Arab Emirates airline Flydubai announced that it would suspend flights to Kabul on 16 August.[74] By 16 August, most other airlines had also announced suspension of flights to Kabul. The Afghanistan Civil Aviation Authority announced that it had released Kabul airspace to the military and warned that "any transit through Kabul airspace will be uncontrolled".[75]

The US Department of Defense confirmed on 16 August that General Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr., commander of United States Central Command, had met with Taliban leaders in Qatar to secure an agreement. The Taliban reportedly agreed to allow American evacuation flights at Kabul Airport to proceed without hindrance.[76] International airlifts of evacuees had resumed by 17 August following a temporary halt to clear the runway of civilians[77] as the US military confirmed the airport was open for all military flights and limited commercial flights. Pentagon officials added that evacuation efforts were expected to be expedited and were scheduled to continue until 31 August.[78]

Al Jazeera, relaying tracking of flight data posts on Twitter, said that between 15 and 16 August, at least 170 military flights flew from countries including the United States (128); the United Kingdom (12); France (6); Canada (5); Germany (4); Italy (3); Australia (3); India (2); Austria (1); Belgium (1); Denmark (1); Netherlands (1); Sweden (1); Spain (1); and Turkey (1).[1]

A photograph of over 800 refugees packed into an American C-17 taking off from Kabul was widely shared on social media.[79][80] French newspaper Le Monde stated that the photo had become "a symbol of the escape from the Taliban".[81] Another video went viral on 17 August, where a man attempting to escape the country recorded himself and others clinging onto a C-17 military aircraft.[82] A photograph of a US soldier clutching the furled US embassy flag during the evacuations emerged and was circulated by media outlets.[83]

17–21 August edit

 
General Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr. (center), commander of United States Central Command, at Kabul Airport on 17 August 2021

On 17 August, the United States Department of State and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan challenged reports of Afghans and Americans being unable to reach the airport. Sullivan told reporters that the Taliban were prepared to "provide the safe passage of civilians to the airport, and we intend to hold them to that commitment" while affirming that the withdrawal deadline remained 31 August. Sullivan acknowledged reports of the Taliban physically preventing people from evacuating, but said "By and large, what we have found is that people have been able to get to the airport."[84]

On 18 August, it was reported that an Afghan interpreter who had worked for the Australian military had been shot in the leg by the Taliban as he crossed a checkpoint leading to the airport.[85] That same day, it was further reported that the first Australian evacuation flight had departed the airport with only 26 people on board, despite having capacity for over 120.[86] The first German evacuation flight the day prior had also transported a low number of evacuees, taking off with only 7 on board.[87] The Malaysian High Commission in India (which is accredited to Afghanistan) confirmed it had helped a Malaysian citizen return home earlier in the month. It also confirmed that two other Malaysian nationals working for an international relief organisation had opted to remain in Kabul. The High Commission urged remaining Malaysian citizens to register with them for repatriation.[88]

 
Evacuees boarding a C-17 Globemaster III at Hamid Karzai International Airport, 18 August

On 19 August, UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace stated that the evacuation flights could not take unaccompanied children after a number of videos posted to social media showed desperate families attempting to convince NATO soldiers to take their children to safety.[89] The Guardian reported that the British government had informed the 125 Afghan guards who had been guarding the British embassy in Kabul that they would not be offered asylum in the UK because they were hired by the private security firm GardaWorld. In contrast, GardaWorld guards of the US embassy had already been evacuated.[90] That evening, the Finnish government announced it was preparing to send troops to the airport to assist in the evacuations, with around 60 Finnish citizens still stuck in Kabul.[91] French newspaper Libération obtained a confidential United Nations report that found the Taliban had priority lists of individuals to arrest and were also targeting the families of people who had worked with the Afghan government and NATO.[92]

 
US 1st Battalion, 8th Marines and Norwegian soldiers processing evacuees at Kabul airport, 20 August

By 20 August, it was reported that French special forces had rescued 400 civilians from Kabul, including French nationals and Afghan citizens that had aided French forces during the war. British special forces were also reportedly active during the evacuation.[93] On 20 August, it was reported that the National Directorate of Security's 01 Unit was working alongside NATO forces in the airlift as its members refused to surrender to the Taliban.[94] They were scheduled to be airlifted once American troops withdraw.[94]

On 21 August, Reuters reported that the World Bank's Kabul-based staff and their immediate families were safely evacuated among 350 people aboard a special Pakistan International Airlines flight to Islamabad.[95] The Indian Express reported that the Taliban had blocked 72 Afghan Sikhs and Hindus from boarding an Indian Air Force evacuation flight.[96] Kim Sengupta of The Independent reported that at least four women were crushed to death in a rush on a narrow road leading to the airport.[97] By the afternoon, the US government was advising American citizens not to travel to the airport because of potential risks.[98][99] On the same day, Indonesia evacuated 26 of its nationals, along with five Filipinos and two Afghan nationals using the Indonesian Air Force Boeing 737-400 with a number of soldiers of the Koopssus TNI.[100][101]

22 August edit

 
US Marine provides fresh water to a child at Kabul Airport

On 22 August, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation revealed that the Australian government had denied visas to over 100 Afghans who had worked as security guards for the Australian embassy.[102] That evening, Lloyd Austin, United States Secretary of Defense, ordered the activation of the American Civil Reserve Air Fleet to aid in the evacuations, only the third time in history that the fleet had been activated.[103] By the end of the day, at least 28,000 people had been officially evacuated from Kabul and 13 countries had agreed to temporarily host Afghan refugees awaiting clearance for resettlement in the US, but tens of thousands more foreign nationals and at-risk Afghans remained stuck in Kabul.[104] Also on 22 August, the Dutch defence ministry announced that it was deploying more troops to Afghanistan to assist the 62 Dutch special forces personnel at Kabul Airport, where they were operating two C-130 military planes for evacuations. According to Defence Minister Sigrid Kaag, over 700 Dutch citizens in Afghanistan were still waiting to be evacuated, adding that at-risk Afghans that managed to be evacuated could be eligible for asylum. The Dutch embassy's 207 staffers and their families had evacuated to the Netherlands days prior.[105]

According to Der Spiegel, on the night of 22 August, nine German KSK special forces operators code named "Blue Light" rescued a Munich family of three from a rendezvous point at a gate outside of Kabul Airport. The family had previously contacted Germany's Federal Foreign Office after several failed attempts to enter the north gate at the airport, but the office initially rejected the mother's evacuation due to her not being German citizen, before reversing the position.[106]

 
US paratroopers of the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division and evacuees at Kabul Airport, 22 August

Over a few days in August, the Royal Australian Air Force completed five evacuation flights,[107] with the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) completing another before 23 August.[108]

23 August edit

On 23 August, the British government stated that it would not continue evacuations after American forces withdrew from the airport; however, the government would be asking the Americans not to withdraw at the end of the month in an emergency G7 meeting.[109][110] The Taliban indicated that they would be unwilling to extend the 31 August deadline for American withdrawal.[111] Around 7 a.m. local time, one Afghan guard was killed and three wounded in a firefight between Afghan, American, and German troops and unidentified attackers.[112] Ireland approved the deployment of a small special forces team from the Army Ranger Wing and Irish diplomats to Kabul Airport in order to evacuate Irish citizens.[4] The Canadian government officially confirmed that Canadian special forces had launched operations outside of the airport to help evacuate people.[113][114] US president Biden said that thus far the Taliban had kept their promises and had not taken any action against US forces controlling Kabul Airport.[115] Meanwhile, CIA Director William Burns held a secret meeting in Kabul with Taliban leader Abdul Ghani Baradar, who had returned to Afghanistan from exile in Qatar to discuss the 31 August withdrawal deadline.[116][117]

Also on 23 August, Gulf News reported that since 14 August, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) evacuated 1,400 people from Kabul which included diplomats, foreign media and Afghan journalists and staff of international organizations.[8] European Union (EU) and Asian Development Bank (ADB) also requested Pakistani authorities to help evacuate their employees and their families in Afghanistan. EU officials sought urgent evacuation of at least 420 people while ADB requested evacuation of 290 people.[8][118] By this time PIA was the only commercial airline that was still operating flights to and from Kabul.[119]

24 August edit

 
Canadian soldier walks through an evacuation checkpoint at Kabul Airport, 24 August. Canada evacuated at least 3,700 people during Operation AEGIS.[120]

The US Department of Defense reported that 21,600 people had been evacuated from Kabul Airport in the preceding 24 hours,[121] reflecting a significant increase in the speed of evacuations ahead of the 31 August withdrawal deadline.[121] The total number of persons evacuated from Afghanistan via the airport in the preceding ten days was 70,700.[121] Several hundred US military personnel in support roles who were deemed nonessential had withdrawn in the preceding days, while 5,800 US Army soldiers and US Marines remained to guard the airport.[121] Among the US forces protecting the airport was the 82nd Airborne Division headquarters element; 1st Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division; 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines; 1st Battalion, 8th Marines; 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 10th Mountain Division; 2nd Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 10th Mountain Division;[122] HHB, 1st Battalion, 101st Field Artillery Regiment, Massachusetts Army National Guard[123] and 1st Combined Arms Battalion, 194th Armor Regiment, Minnesota Army National Guard.[124]

By 24 August, six Fijian United Nations workers had been evacuated with the assistance of Australian forces.[125] South Korea airlifted 380 Afghans who had "worked at the Korean Embassy or hospitals and job training centers run by Korean engineering and reconstruction forces."[126]

On 24 August, Yevhen Yenin, the Ukrainian deputy minister for foreign affairs, claimed that an evacuation flight had been hijacked and flown to Iran; however, both the Iranian and Ukrainian governments denied that such an event had occurred.[127] That day, two American congressmen, Seth Moulton and Peter Meijer, attracted criticism after flying into Kabul on a military charter plane and staying in the airport for a few hours on an alleged fact-finding mission before flying back out on another charter plane.[128]

 
French soldier speaks with evacuees at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, 25 August 2021. The French Armed Forces launched Opération Apagan on 15 August to airlift Afghan evacuees, concluding on 27 August.[129]

25 August edit

On 25 August, a Japan Air Self-Defence Force C-2 transport plane arrived at Kabul International Airport and brought in Self-Defense Force personnel and supplies, but returned to their base of operations in Islamabad on the same day because the Japanese nationals to be transported had not arrived at the airport.[130]

26 August edit

On 26 August, it was reported that US officials in Kabul gave the Taliban a list of names of American citizens, green card holders, and Afghan allies to grant entry into the airport for evacuation. President Biden stated that the "bulk of the group" had been allowed into the airport by the Taliban, but he could not say with "certitude" whether there was a list of names passed to the Taliban.[131][132] Meanwhile, Canada announced that it was ending its Afghanistan evacuation mission,[133] leaving unknown numbers of Canadian and Afghan allies stranded.[134] Australia,[135] Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany,[136] Hungary, the Netherlands, New Zealand,[137] and Poland also announced the end of their evacuations on this day.[138][139][136]

Also on 26 August, the first convoy of 225 Turkish soldiers and 120 Azerbaijani soldiers returned to Turkey. And it was announced that 1,129 civilian were evacuated in total.[140] A further 12,500 people were evacuated from Afghanistan in general.[20]

Suicide attack edit

On 26 August, an explosion occurred outside the Abbey Gate of Hamid Karzai International Airport. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant – Khorasan Province (ISIL-K) claimed responsibility for the attack.[141][142] ISIL-K is a sworn enemy of both the United States and the Taliban.[143] The attack was perpetrated by a suicide bomber,[20][144] who detonated a 25-pound explosive vest hidden under clothing, close to a group of US military personnel who were performing security screenings of Afghans hoping to enter the airport.[145]

According to local health officials, at least 170 people were killed,[145] and another 150 others were wounded in the attack.[142] The bombing was carried out at the airport gate.[142] The majority of those killed were Afghan civilians, but 13 US military personnel (11 Marines, one Army soldier, and one Navy corpsman) and 2 British nationals were also among the dead.[146][147] A Taliban official said that 28 Taliban members were killed in the attack, but a Taliban spokesman later denied that any of their fighters had been killed.[20] The wounded included many Afghans and 18 American troops.[146] The wounded Americans were medically evacuated to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center near Ramstein Air Base, Germany.[145]

The bombing disrupted evacuation efforts,[147] although flights resumed soon afterward.[148] General Frank McKenzie, the head of US Central Command, indicated that US officials were on alert for possible future ISIL-K attacks against the airport, possibly through rockets or car bombs; McKenzie said intelligence was being shared with the Taliban and "some attacks have been thwarted by" the Taliban.[20]

After the airport attack, the US carried out a drone strike on an ISIL-K planner in Jalalabad, eastern Nangarhar province. The US Department of Defense reported that the airstrike killed the target and caused no civilian casualties. [149]

27 August edit

 
Afghan evacuees bow during noon congregational prayer at Ramstein Air Base in Germany on 27 August 2021

On 27 August, Australia, France,[150] Italy, New Zealand, Norway, Spain,[151] Sweden,[152] and Switzerland[153] announced the end of their evacuation flights.[154] The last Italian Air Force flight completed the evacuation of 5,011 people, 4,890 of whom were Afghan citizens.[155]

On 27 August, 120 Azerbaijani soldiers landed in Baku from Turkey.[156] The second convoy of Turkish soldiers landed in Ankara, and Turkey announced that all Turkish military evacuations had been completed.[157]

In the evening, JASDF C-130 transport planes carrying one Japanese national, 14 Afghan nationals at the behest of the United States and all Self-Defense Forces personnel took off from Kabul International Airport, arriving at Islamabad on the same night. All Japanese nationals who wished to evacuate had been evacuated, but many local Embassy employees who wished to evacuate were left behind. The Japanese evacuation was completed.[158]

28 August edit

On 28 August, the United Kingdom concluded its evacuation of British civilians.[159] At the peak of UK evacuation efforts, more than 1,000 British troops were in Kabul; by 28 August, some had already left.[159] The British government later confirmed that all British soldiers, diplomats and other officials had left Afghanistan by the following day.[160]

The same day, it was reported that the Taliban and Turkey had reached a draft agreement allowing Turkey to operate Kabul Airport after the departure of US forces, for a transitional period.[161][162] Turkish officials had stated that the country would not help operate the airport unless it can deploy its own security forces to guard it.[163]

29 August edit

On 29 August, the Associated Press reported that the Taliban had sealed off the airport as the US and its allies began concluding the airlift.[164] The Taliban, meanwhile, insisted on taking over the security of Hamid Karzai International Airport themselves instead of Turkey, with spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid stating that their own special forces would guarantee its safety.[165] However, 98 countries, including the United States, released a joint statement saying that they had received assurances from the Taliban that foreign nationals and Afghans would be allowed to leave the country.[166]

The United States military conducted a drone strike against a vehicle it stated was believed to be carrying at least one ISIL-KP suicide bomber in Kabul, who was trying to reach Kabul airport to attack it.[167] The attack set off the explosives inside the vehicle, killing three children in a nearby building, according to Afghan officials.[168] It was subsequently reported that the target was not a militant, but civilians. A relative of the deceased told CNN that nine people belonging to the same family, including six children, were killed due to the airstrike.[169] Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid criticised the United States for conducting the strike instead of informing the group about the attackers beforehand, and said that seven civilians had been killed due to the strike.[170]

Relatives later stated that 10 people who lived in the building next to the target vehicle were killed, including seven children. Some of those killed had previously worked for international organisations and held visas allowing them US entry. US officials said that there had been a number of "substantial and powerful subsequent explosions" following the drone strike indicating that the vehicle had been carrying explosives and they were investigating reports of civilian casualties. Relatives however denied any subsequent explosions had occurred and claimed the driver of the car was not affiliated with the group.[167][171][172]

30 August edit

 
An American Delta Force operator standing guard at Kabul Airport, 30 August 2021

A United States official told Reuters that anti-missile defences had intercepted five rockets aimed at the Hamid Karzai International Airport. Pajhwok Afghan News reported that several rockets had struck Kabul.[173] ISIL-K claimed responsibility for the attack.[174]

That morning, the UN Security Council adopted a motion calling on the Taliban to let people freely leave Afghanistan. However, the motion did not include a proposal French President Emmanuel Macron had earlier floated about creating a UN safe zone in Kabul.[175]

Later that evening, General Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr. announced that the United States had completed their evacuation from Afghanistan.[16] Before departing, the American forces used thermite bombs to disable several remaining counter rocket, artillery, and mortar systems they had used to protect the airfield from incoming rockets fired by ISIS-K. In addition, the aircraft and vehicles at the airport were also disabled.[176] The last two Americans to board an evacuation flight were acting Ambassador Ross Wilson, the top US diplomat in Afghanistan, and the final soldier to leave Afghanistan, Major General Chris Donahue, commanding general of the 82nd Airborne Division.[177] The final flight, a US Air Force C-17, departed at 11:59 p.m. (Kabul time) on 30 August.[178] The US phase of the Afghanistan conflict (1978–present), the 2001–2021 chapter that had begun with the 2001 invasion, had concluded.[179]

Aftermath edit

 
Afghan refugees resettled per 100K residents after the 2021 Afghan withdrawal and evacuation in each U.S. state and the District of Columbia according to CBS News

In the early hours of 31 August (Kabul time), not long after the final American flight had left, the Taliban marched into the airport, firing their guns into the air in celebration and posing for pictures with abandoned NATO equipment.[180] Taliban leaders, flanked by the Badri 313 Battalion, then entered the airport to hold a press conference declaring that "Afghanistan is finally free" and that they would shortly be announcing a new government.[181]

Post–withdrawal evacuations edit

Efforts to evacuate foreign nationals and at-risk Afghans continued after military forces concluded their withdrawals.

On 6 September 2021, the United States evacuated four American citizens (specifically, an Amarillo, Texas woman and her three children) from Afghanistan via an overland route, marking the first overland evacuation facilitated by the US Department of State since the military withdrawal. The Taliban was aware of the evacuation and did not make any effort to stop it.[182][183]

On 9 September 2021, the first flight of foreigners out of Kabul since the US military withdrawal took place. A Qatar Airways charter flight left the Kabul airport en route to Doha, Qatar, carrying some 200 passengers, including Americans.[184] A second such flight was scheduled for the following day.[184]

On 11 October 2021, Aman Khalili, an Afghan interpreter who in 2008 had rescued then-Senators Joe Biden, Chuck Hagel, and John Kerry, was rescued along with his family. At the time Khalili's family was rescued by the Human First Coalition and the U.S. State Department, they were in Pakistan, having already left Afghanistan.[185]

The UK Government's Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme to help Afghans fleeing the Taliban settle in the UK, which was announced in August 2021, opened in January 2022.[186]

By October 26, 2021, the U.S. government reported 363 known American citizens remained in Afghanistan with only 176 wanting to leave. 240 had been evacuated through US government involvement, and 74 on private flights, with similar numbers for U.S. permanent residents.[187]

Evacuation destinations edit

 
Refugee camp at Ramstein Air Base in Germany.

The largest base handling the initial outflow of Afghan evacuees was Al Udeid Air Base outside Doha, Qatar, where evacuees were vetted against the National Counterterrorism Center's terrorist watch list.[121]

The Ramstein Air Base, in Germany, the largest US Air Force base in Europe, was also a hub for processing Afghan evacuees who had assisted the US and its allies during the Afghan war.[188][189] About a fifth of all evacuees from Kabul passed through Ramstein.[190] The base has capacity for up to 12,000 evacuees.[188] Evacuees went through medical screenings and were biometrically scanned.[190][188] At least 30,000 hot meals were served daily; evacuees were housed in aircraft hangars and military tents.[188] By 22 August, about 7,000 people had landed at Ramstein, and about 6,500 remained at the base.[188] Around 700 departed on four flights to the US on 23–24 August,[188] and by 25 August that number increased to around 800.[189] As of 31 August, a total of 11,700 people had been flown from Ramstein to the United States or another safe location.[190]

The USA established temporary housing at military bases in Virginia, Texas, Wisconsin and New Jersey for Afghan refugees.[121] Temporary refugee accommodation was set up at Fort Lee (Virginia), Fort Bliss (Texas), Fort Dix (New Jersey), and Fort McCoy (Wisconsin), with a total capacity for 25,000 people.[191] Fort Lee was the first to receive Operation Allied Refuge evacuees, with 221 arriving at the fort on 30 July.[191] Fort Pickett (Virginia) was also a site for temporary Afghan refugee accommodation.[192]

On 13 August 2021, the Canadian Government announced it would resettle an additional 20,000 vulnerable Afghans such as women leaders, human rights workers and journalists. This was in addition to an earlier initiative to resettle thousands of Afghans who had worked for the Canadian Government, such as interpreters and embassy employees, as well as their families.[193] By March 2022, Canada resettled 8,580 Afghan refugees.[194]

On 17 August 2021, the United Kingdom Government announced a new resettlement programme that aims to resettle 20,000 Afghan refugees over a five-year period in the UK.[195][196]

 
Afghan evacuees arrive at Naval Air Station Sigonella in Sicily, 22 August

On 23 August, the first flight of Afghan evacuees had arrived in New Zealand on a RNZAF Lockheed C-130 Hercules aircraft.[108] By 26 August, the New Zealand Defence Force had evacuated 370 people from Afghanistan, which included an unspecified number of New Zealand, Australian, and Afghan passport holders. By 28 August, the evacuees were transferred to the United Arab Emirates while awaiting travel to New Zealand.[197][137]

On 11 October, the United Kingdom offered resettlement visas to the Afghan Women's Development Team of football players. The 35 players had fled to Pakistan following the Taliban takeover.[198]

Pakistan's role in evacuations edit

As of 27 August, Pakistan has helped to evacuate more than 7,000 foreigners from Afghanistan through air and land routes since the fall of Kabul.[199] By 27 August, more than 113 military and commercial flights have landed in Pakistan.[200] Dawn reported that around 400 special flights carrying Afghan nationals and foreigners from Kabul have departed from and arrived in Islamabad.[201] On 27 August 2021, Pakistan's Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed announced that the Pakistan government has decided to offer 21 days transit visas to the evacuees.[202]

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen[203] and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte[204][205] thanked Pakistan for its support and facilitation in evacuation of stranded people from Afghanistan. Germany's Ambassador to Pakistan Bernhard Schlagheck thanked Pakistani authorities for the cooperation at Islamabad International Airport.[206]

International Monetary Fund's Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva[207] and Asian Development Bank's President Masatsugu Asakawa[208] praised Pakistan's efforts in evacuating the respective financial institution's personnel and their families from Afghanistan. European Council President Charles Michel in a telephonic conversation with Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan also thanked him for evacuating European nationals working for different international organisations in Afghanistan.[209] David Beasley, Executive Director of the UN's World Food Programme (WFP), lauded Pakistan's support for repairing WFP's damaged planes returning from Kabul and establishing a "humanitarian airbridge".[209]

Reactions edit

Former UK Chief of the General Staff Richard Dannatt stated that the British government had been aware of the need to evacuate vulnerable Afghans for several years and that "it would appear that the government was asleep on watch."[210] The UK Foreign Office group charged with organising the evacuations was revealed to have left over 5000 email messages unread throughout the last week of the evacuations, including many that contained important information of cases of vulnerable Afghans.[211]

The evacuation of Pen Farthing and his Nowzad Dogs charity came under particular scrutiny in the UK.[212] Visas for 68 people, including the staff of the charity and their immediate family members, had originally been granted on 23 August, but Farthing chose not to leave immediately. Permission for the charity's animals (173 dogs and cats) to be airlifted was granted two days later, but they were blocked from entering the airport on 26 August, and then on 27 August, the Afghan staff of the charity were blocked from boarding the evacuation flight.[213] Farthing left Afghanistan along with the animals, but not his staff, on 28 August.[214] Some journalists criticized this prioritizing animals over people as racist, and damaging to Westerners' reputation among local people.[215][216][217]

On 28 August, a group of Afghans who had worked as security guards at the Finnish embassy in Kabul organised a protest over being left behind in Afghanistan.[218]

Airbnb announced it would provide free temporary housing for 20,000 Afghan refugees in their destination communities.[219]

See also edit

References edit

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Further reading edit

  • - 727 that evacuated Afghan special forces
  • Enno Lenze, Kabul - save yourself who may and "Pineapple Express", Berlin Story News, 3 September 2021
  • Army paratroopers traded dip for a Toyota gun truck used to secure the Kabul airport, Task & Purpose, 7 October 2021
  • Afghan pilots, engineers marooned in Tajikistan

2021, kabul, airlift, large, scale, evacuations, foreign, citizens, some, vulnerable, afghan, citizens, took, place, amid, withdrawal, nato, forces, 2001, 2021, afghanistan, taliban, took, control, kabul, declared, victory, august, 2021, nato, backed, islamic,. Large scale evacuations of foreign citizens and some vulnerable Afghan citizens took place amid the withdrawal of US and NATO forces at the end of the 2001 2021 war in Afghanistan The Taliban took control of Kabul and declared victory on 15 August 2021 and the NATO backed Islamic Republic of Afghanistan collapsed With the Taliban controlling the whole city except Hamid Karzai International Airport hostilities ceased and the Taliban assisted in the evacuation effort by providing security and screening evacuees 14 15 Evacuation from Afghanistan 2021 Part of the War in AfghanistanEvacuees load on to a United Arab Emirates Air Force Boeing C 17 Globemaster III during the evacuation on 20 August 2021LocationKabul AfghanistanObjectiveEvacuations of international diplomatic military and civilian staff including national civiliansDate13 August 2021 2021 08 13 30 August 2021 2021 08 30 Executed by Australia Austria 1 Azerbaijan Belgium Operation Red Kite Canada Operation AEGIS Czech Republic 2 Denmark Finland France Operation Apagan 3 Germany Hungary Operation Saman India Operation Devi Shakti Indonesia Ireland 4 Italy Operation Aquila Omnia 5 Japan Operation RJNO Lithuania 6 Luxembourg Mexico 7 Netherlands New Zealand Operation Kōkako Norway Pakistan 8 Philippines 9 Poland Portugal 10 Romania Russia Slovakia Slovenia Singapore 11 South Korea Operation Miracle Spain Operation Antigona 12 Sweden 1 Switzerland Turkey Ukraine United Kingdom Operation Pitting United States Operation Allies Refuge and private activities 13 Taliban security and logistics 14 15 OutcomeOver 122 000 people have been airlifted abroad 16 and end of the War in Afghanistan 2001 2021 17 Casualties195 killed 18 19 20 159 Afghan civilians 13 US service members and 3 British nationals killed during a suicide bombing at the Kabul airport 21 11 Afghan civilians killed during crowd crushes at the airport 22 23 6 Afghan civilian stowaways killed one outside of Afghanistan 24 2 unknown gunmen killed by US troops 25 1 Afghan guard killed during a gunfight 26 Although some countries had previously begun small scale evacuation efforts in the months leading up to August 2021 such as the American Operation Allies Refuge and the British Operation Pitting the collapse of the Afghan government occurred sooner than intelligence projections had estimated and evacuation efforts became more urgent Several countries launched new evacuation operations such Canada s Operation AEGIS India s Operation Devi Shakti and South Korea s Operation Miracle 27 The evacuation operations were one of the largest airlifts in history 28 29 Between 14 and 25 August the US alone evacuated about 82 300 people from Hamid Karzai International Airport 30 including US citizens Special Immigrant Visa applicants and other vulnerable Afghans 29 In total over 122 000 people were airlifted abroad 16 The evacuation was completed on August 30 one day before a deadline agreed upon with the Taliban 31 US embassy staff arriving in Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar from Afghanistan on 15 August 2021 A C 17 evacuating 823 passengers out of Kabul on 15 August Contents 1 Background 2 Timeline 2 1 13 14 August 2 2 15 16 August 2 3 17 21 August 2 4 22 August 2 5 23 August 2 6 24 August 2 7 25 August 2 8 26 August 2 8 1 Suicide attack 2 9 27 August 2 10 28 August 2 11 29 August 2 12 30 August 3 Aftermath 3 1 Post withdrawal evacuations 4 Evacuation destinations 4 1 Pakistan s role in evacuations 5 Reactions 6 See also 7 References 8 Further readingBackground editMain articles Afghan refugees 2021 Taliban offensive and Fall of Kabul 2021 Following the Afghan peace process the Trump administration and Taliban signed the Doha Agreement in February 2020 Accordingly the US agreed to withdraw all US forces from Afghanistan by 1 May 2021 32 33 The Taliban failed to honor most of its pledges in the agreement 33 Nonetheless the Biden administration decided to continue with the planned withdrawal although it pushed back the completion date first to 11 September 2021 and then to 31 August 2021 32 34 As the US withdrawal proceeded the Taliban and allied militant groups began a widespread offensive on 1 May 2021 35 In the ensuing months the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan through a combination of negotiating wholesale surrenders of Afghan National Army units and their military offensive capturing provincial capitals and expanding their control from 77 districts on 13 April to 104 districts on 16 June to 223 districts on 3 August 33 In July 2021 the US Intelligence Community estimated that the government of Afghanistan could collapse between six and 12 months after the departure of American troops 36 Intelligence agencies later reduced the estimation to one month 37 However the government collapsed within days much more rapidly than many anticipated 37 The Afghan National Army poorly led and impaired by widespread corruption 38 was left in chaos having only two units remained operational by mid August the 201st Corps and 111th Division both based in Kabul Intelligence projections quickly worsened 39 By 14 August the Taliban had encircled Kabul On 15 August Kabul fell and the Taliban declared victory in the War in Afghanistan 40 As the Taliban seized control the urgency to evacuate populations vulnerable to the Taliban including those interpreters and assistants who had worked with the Operation Enduring Freedom the International Security Assistance Force Operation Freedom s Sentinel and the Resolute Support Mission Hazara people and vulnerable women and minorities given the treatment of women by the Taliban gained importance Timeline edit13 14 August edit After the Taliban seized all border crossings Kabul Airport remained the only secure route out of Afghanistan 41 After the fall of Herat on 13 August the US deployed an additional 3 000 troops and the UK deployed 600 troops to Kabul Airport to secure the airlifts of their nationals embassy staff and Afghan citizens who worked with coalition forces 41 US officials said at the time that all of their forces were still expected to leave Afghanistan by 31 August 42 On 13 August a memorandum was sent to all staff of the US embassy to reduce items with embassy or agency logos American flags or items which could be misused in propaganda efforts 43 Diplomats were reported to be rapidly destroying classified documents and other sensitive materials 41 Among the documents destroyed were the passports of Afghan civilians who had applied for visas 44 15 16 August edit As the Taliban surrounded and began entering Kabul US Army CH 47 Chinook UH 60 Black Hawk and State Department Air Wing CH 46 Sea Knight helicopters began landing at the US embassy to carry out evacuations A convoy of armored sport utility vehicles SUVs was seen departing the embassy grounds and an attack helicopter was reportedly seen deploying flares in the area to defend against potential shoot downs 41 Along with the embassy personnel 5 000 US troops and some NATO troops remained in the city 45 46 The US government later authorized the deployment of 1 000 more troops from the 82nd Airborne Division to the airport bolstering troop presence in Kabul to 6 000 to facilitate the evacuations 47 External videos nbsp A widely shared video shows Afghans running alongside an airplane taking off at Kabul airport nbsp US Army 10th Mountain Division soldiers guarding the apron at Kabul Airport Crowds of people can be seen in the background Panic spread among the civilian population as the Taliban seized the capital with many citizens rushing to their homes or to the airport which remained under NATO control after the Afghan government dissolved 41 48 49 A chaotic situation developed as thousands of fleeing Afghan civilians rushed to Kabul Airport with hundreds crowding the apron in an attempt to catch flights out of the city some had climbed over boundary walls to enter the airport 50 51 US soldiers hovered helicopters low overhead as crowd control deployed smoke grenades and occasionally fired warning shots into the air to disperse people attempting to forcefully board aircraft 52 53 54 Video footage emerged showing hundreds of people running alongside a moving US Air Force C 17A transport plane taxiing toward the runway some people could be seen clinging onto the aircraft just below the wing Others were running alongside waving and shouting 55 At least two people in an apparent attempt to stowaway were reportedly shown to fall from the undercarriage immediately after takeoff Another body was later found in the landing gear of the C 17 56 One of the victims was identified as Zaki Anwari who had played for Afghanistan s national youth football team 57 Three bodies including that of a woman were also found on the ground outside near the passenger terminal building but their cause of death was unclear though some observers speculated they may have died during a stampede 52 58 Seven people were eventually confirmed to have died during this stage including two armed men shot after firing at US soldiers according to the US Department of Defense DOD The soldiers were not injured and the gunmen were not identified 52 59 At least 22 Afghan Air Force planes and 24 helicopters carrying 585 Afghan military personnel and their relatives had fled to Uzbekistan One Afghan Embraer EMB 314 Super Tucano crashed after crossing the border with Uzbek authorities issuing conflicting reports on the cause Two Afghan military planes carrying over 100 soldiers also landed in the Tajikistan city of Bokhtar 60 About 8 30 p m local time reports emerged that the US embassy was taking fire The embassy issued a declaration instructing US citizens in the area to shelter in place 61 Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced that the embassy would be relocated to the airport 62 as the DOD had taken over security and air traffic control there 63 Various other nations had announced plans to evacuate their embassies including Spain Germany the United Kingdom the Netherlands and Denmark 64 65 66 The German government announced that it was sending A400M Atlas aircraft with a contingent of paratroopers for evacuations adding it would not seek the required parliamentary approval for the operation until after the mission was complete 67 The Italian government was reported to have transferred its embassy staff as well as the families of 30 Afghan employees to Kabul airport under Carabinieri guard to prepare for evacuation 68 India was reported to have had C 17 transport planes prepared to evacuate Indian diplomatic staff but had anticipated that it would take longer for the Taliban to capture Kabul 69 One group of Indian diplomats were escorted to the airport by the Taliban after negotiating the escort after having had their passage out of the Indian embassy blocked several times by the group 70 Albania said it had accepted a US request to serve as a transit hub for evacuees 71 The Philippine government ordered the mandatory evacuation of Filipino nationals in Afghanistan through the auspices of the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Philippines Embassy in Islamabad Pakistan which is accredited to Afghanistan Of the 173 Filipino nationals there 78 agreed to accept the government s repatriation efforts while some accepted help from their companies 9 The Philippine government also agreed to accept refugees from Afghanistan 72 A flight by Emirates Airlines to Kabul was diverted and later returned to Dubai 73 and United Arab Emirates airline Flydubai announced that it would suspend flights to Kabul on 16 August 74 By 16 August most other airlines had also announced suspension of flights to Kabul The Afghanistan Civil Aviation Authority announced that it had released Kabul airspace to the military and warned that any transit through Kabul airspace will be uncontrolled 75 The US Department of Defense confirmed on 16 August that General Kenneth F McKenzie Jr commander of United States Central Command had met with Taliban leaders in Qatar to secure an agreement The Taliban reportedly agreed to allow American evacuation flights at Kabul Airport to proceed without hindrance 76 International airlifts of evacuees had resumed by 17 August following a temporary halt to clear the runway of civilians 77 as the US military confirmed the airport was open for all military flights and limited commercial flights Pentagon officials added that evacuation efforts were expected to be expedited and were scheduled to continue until 31 August 78 Al Jazeera relaying tracking of flight data posts on Twitter said that between 15 and 16 August at least 170 military flights flew from countries including the United States 128 the United Kingdom 12 France 6 Canada 5 Germany 4 Italy 3 Australia 3 India 2 Austria 1 Belgium 1 Denmark 1 Netherlands 1 Sweden 1 Spain 1 and Turkey 1 1 A photograph of over 800 refugees packed into an American C 17 taking off from Kabul was widely shared on social media 79 80 French newspaper Le Monde stated that the photo had become a symbol of the escape from the Taliban 81 Another video went viral on 17 August where a man attempting to escape the country recorded himself and others clinging onto a C 17 military aircraft 82 A photograph of a US soldier clutching the furled US embassy flag during the evacuations emerged and was circulated by media outlets 83 17 21 August edit nbsp General Kenneth F McKenzie Jr center commander of United States Central Command at Kabul Airport on 17 August 2021 On 17 August the United States Department of State and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan challenged reports of Afghans and Americans being unable to reach the airport Sullivan told reporters that the Taliban were prepared to provide the safe passage of civilians to the airport and we intend to hold them to that commitment while affirming that the withdrawal deadline remained 31 August Sullivan acknowledged reports of the Taliban physically preventing people from evacuating but said By and large what we have found is that people have been able to get to the airport 84 On 18 August it was reported that an Afghan interpreter who had worked for the Australian military had been shot in the leg by the Taliban as he crossed a checkpoint leading to the airport 85 That same day it was further reported that the first Australian evacuation flight had departed the airport with only 26 people on board despite having capacity for over 120 86 The first German evacuation flight the day prior had also transported a low number of evacuees taking off with only 7 on board 87 The Malaysian High Commission in India which is accredited to Afghanistan confirmed it had helped a Malaysian citizen return home earlier in the month It also confirmed that two other Malaysian nationals working for an international relief organisation had opted to remain in Kabul The High Commission urged remaining Malaysian citizens to register with them for repatriation 88 nbsp Evacuees boarding a C 17 Globemaster III at Hamid Karzai International Airport 18 August On 19 August UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace stated that the evacuation flights could not take unaccompanied children after a number of videos posted to social media showed desperate families attempting to convince NATO soldiers to take their children to safety 89 The Guardian reported that the British government had informed the 125 Afghan guards who had been guarding the British embassy in Kabul that they would not be offered asylum in the UK because they were hired by the private security firm GardaWorld In contrast GardaWorld guards of the US embassy had already been evacuated 90 That evening the Finnish government announced it was preparing to send troops to the airport to assist in the evacuations with around 60 Finnish citizens still stuck in Kabul 91 French newspaper Liberation obtained a confidential United Nations report that found the Taliban had priority lists of individuals to arrest and were also targeting the families of people who had worked with the Afghan government and NATO 92 nbsp US 1st Battalion 8th Marines and Norwegian soldiers processing evacuees at Kabul airport 20 August By 20 August it was reported that French special forces had rescued 400 civilians from Kabul including French nationals and Afghan citizens that had aided French forces during the war British special forces were also reportedly active during the evacuation 93 On 20 August it was reported that the National Directorate of Security s 01 Unit was working alongside NATO forces in the airlift as its members refused to surrender to the Taliban 94 They were scheduled to be airlifted once American troops withdraw 94 On 21 August Reuters reported that the World Bank s Kabul based staff and their immediate families were safely evacuated among 350 people aboard a special Pakistan International Airlines flight to Islamabad 95 The Indian Express reported that the Taliban had blocked 72 Afghan Sikhs and Hindus from boarding an Indian Air Force evacuation flight 96 Kim Sengupta of The Independent reported that at least four women were crushed to death in a rush on a narrow road leading to the airport 97 By the afternoon the US government was advising American citizens not to travel to the airport because of potential risks 98 99 On the same day Indonesia evacuated 26 of its nationals along with five Filipinos and two Afghan nationals using the Indonesian Air Force Boeing 737 400 with a number of soldiers of the Koopssus TNI 100 101 22 August edit nbsp US Marine provides fresh water to a child at Kabul Airport On 22 August the Australian Broadcasting Corporation revealed that the Australian government had denied visas to over 100 Afghans who had worked as security guards for the Australian embassy 102 That evening Lloyd Austin United States Secretary of Defense ordered the activation of the American Civil Reserve Air Fleet to aid in the evacuations only the third time in history that the fleet had been activated 103 By the end of the day at least 28 000 people had been officially evacuated from Kabul and 13 countries had agreed to temporarily host Afghan refugees awaiting clearance for resettlement in the US but tens of thousands more foreign nationals and at risk Afghans remained stuck in Kabul 104 Also on 22 August the Dutch defence ministry announced that it was deploying more troops to Afghanistan to assist the 62 Dutch special forces personnel at Kabul Airport where they were operating two C 130 military planes for evacuations According to Defence Minister Sigrid Kaag over 700 Dutch citizens in Afghanistan were still waiting to be evacuated adding that at risk Afghans that managed to be evacuated could be eligible for asylum The Dutch embassy s 207 staffers and their families had evacuated to the Netherlands days prior 105 According to Der Spiegel on the night of 22 August nine German KSK special forces operators code named Blue Light rescued a Munich family of three from a rendezvous point at a gate outside of Kabul Airport The family had previously contacted Germany s Federal Foreign Office after several failed attempts to enter the north gate at the airport but the office initially rejected the mother s evacuation due to her not being German citizen before reversing the position 106 nbsp US paratroopers of the 1st Brigade Combat Team 82nd Airborne Division and evacuees at Kabul Airport 22 August Over a few days in August the Royal Australian Air Force completed five evacuation flights 107 with the Royal New Zealand Air Force RNZAF completing another before 23 August 108 23 August edit On 23 August the British government stated that it would not continue evacuations after American forces withdrew from the airport however the government would be asking the Americans not to withdraw at the end of the month in an emergency G7 meeting 109 110 The Taliban indicated that they would be unwilling to extend the 31 August deadline for American withdrawal 111 Around 7 a m local time one Afghan guard was killed and three wounded in a firefight between Afghan American and German troops and unidentified attackers 112 Ireland approved the deployment of a small special forces team from the Army Ranger Wing and Irish diplomats to Kabul Airport in order to evacuate Irish citizens 4 The Canadian government officially confirmed that Canadian special forces had launched operations outside of the airport to help evacuate people 113 114 US president Biden said that thus far the Taliban had kept their promises and had not taken any action against US forces controlling Kabul Airport 115 Meanwhile CIA Director William Burns held a secret meeting in Kabul with Taliban leader Abdul Ghani Baradar who had returned to Afghanistan from exile in Qatar to discuss the 31 August withdrawal deadline 116 117 Also on 23 August Gulf News reported that since 14 August Pakistan International Airlines PIA evacuated 1 400 people from Kabul which included diplomats foreign media and Afghan journalists and staff of international organizations 8 European Union EU and Asian Development Bank ADB also requested Pakistani authorities to help evacuate their employees and their families in Afghanistan EU officials sought urgent evacuation of at least 420 people while ADB requested evacuation of 290 people 8 118 By this time PIA was the only commercial airline that was still operating flights to and from Kabul 119 24 August edit nbsp Canadian soldier walks through an evacuation checkpoint at Kabul Airport 24 August Canada evacuated at least 3 700 people during Operation AEGIS 120 The US Department of Defense reported that 21 600 people had been evacuated from Kabul Airport in the preceding 24 hours 121 reflecting a significant increase in the speed of evacuations ahead of the 31 August withdrawal deadline 121 The total number of persons evacuated from Afghanistan via the airport in the preceding ten days was 70 700 121 Several hundred US military personnel in support roles who were deemed nonessential had withdrawn in the preceding days while 5 800 US Army soldiers and US Marines remained to guard the airport 121 Among the US forces protecting the airport was the 82nd Airborne Division headquarters element 1st Brigade Combat Team 82nd Airborne Division 2nd Battalion 1st Marines 1st Battalion 8th Marines 4th Battalion 31st Infantry Regiment 10th Mountain Division 2nd Battalion 30th Infantry Regiment 10th Mountain Division 122 HHB 1st Battalion 101st Field Artillery Regiment Massachusetts Army National Guard 123 and 1st Combined Arms Battalion 194th Armor Regiment Minnesota Army National Guard 124 By 24 August six Fijian United Nations workers had been evacuated with the assistance of Australian forces 125 South Korea airlifted 380 Afghans who had worked at the Korean Embassy or hospitals and job training centers run by Korean engineering and reconstruction forces 126 On 24 August Yevhen Yenin the Ukrainian deputy minister for foreign affairs claimed that an evacuation flight had been hijacked and flown to Iran however both the Iranian and Ukrainian governments denied that such an event had occurred 127 That day two American congressmen Seth Moulton and Peter Meijer attracted criticism after flying into Kabul on a military charter plane and staying in the airport for a few hours on an alleged fact finding mission before flying back out on another charter plane 128 nbsp French soldier speaks with evacuees at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar 25 August 2021 The French Armed Forces launched Operation Apagan on 15 August to airlift Afghan evacuees concluding on 27 August 129 25 August edit On 25 August a Japan Air Self Defence Force C 2 transport plane arrived at Kabul International Airport and brought in Self Defense Force personnel and supplies but returned to their base of operations in Islamabad on the same day because the Japanese nationals to be transported had not arrived at the airport 130 26 August edit On 26 August it was reported that US officials in Kabul gave the Taliban a list of names of American citizens green card holders and Afghan allies to grant entry into the airport for evacuation President Biden stated that the bulk of the group had been allowed into the airport by the Taliban but he could not say with certitude whether there was a list of names passed to the Taliban 131 132 Meanwhile Canada announced that it was ending its Afghanistan evacuation mission 133 leaving unknown numbers of Canadian and Afghan allies stranded 134 Australia 135 Belgium the Czech Republic Denmark Germany 136 Hungary the Netherlands New Zealand 137 and Poland also announced the end of their evacuations on this day 138 139 136 Also on 26 August the first convoy of 225 Turkish soldiers and 120 Azerbaijani soldiers returned to Turkey And it was announced that 1 129 civilian were evacuated in total 140 A further 12 500 people were evacuated from Afghanistan in general 20 Suicide attack edit Main article 2021 Kabul airport attack On 26 August an explosion occurred outside the Abbey Gate of Hamid Karzai International Airport The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant Khorasan Province ISIL K claimed responsibility for the attack 141 142 ISIL K is a sworn enemy of both the United States and the Taliban 143 The attack was perpetrated by a suicide bomber 20 144 who detonated a 25 pound explosive vest hidden under clothing close to a group of US military personnel who were performing security screenings of Afghans hoping to enter the airport 145 According to local health officials at least 170 people were killed 145 and another 150 others were wounded in the attack 142 The bombing was carried out at the airport gate 142 The majority of those killed were Afghan civilians but 13 US military personnel 11 Marines one Army soldier and one Navy corpsman and 2 British nationals were also among the dead 146 147 A Taliban official said that 28 Taliban members were killed in the attack but a Taliban spokesman later denied that any of their fighters had been killed 20 The wounded included many Afghans and 18 American troops 146 The wounded Americans were medically evacuated to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center near Ramstein Air Base Germany 145 The bombing disrupted evacuation efforts 147 although flights resumed soon afterward 148 General Frank McKenzie the head of US Central Command indicated that US officials were on alert for possible future ISIL K attacks against the airport possibly through rockets or car bombs McKenzie said intelligence was being shared with the Taliban and some attacks have been thwarted by the Taliban 20 After the airport attack the US carried out a drone strike on an ISIL K planner in Jalalabad eastern Nangarhar province The US Department of Defense reported that the airstrike killed the target and caused no civilian casualties 149 27 August edit nbsp Afghan evacuees bow during noon congregational prayer at Ramstein Air Base in Germany on 27 August 2021 On 27 August Australia France 150 Italy New Zealand Norway Spain 151 Sweden 152 and Switzerland 153 announced the end of their evacuation flights 154 The last Italian Air Force flight completed the evacuation of 5 011 people 4 890 of whom were Afghan citizens 155 On 27 August 120 Azerbaijani soldiers landed in Baku from Turkey 156 The second convoy of Turkish soldiers landed in Ankara and Turkey announced that all Turkish military evacuations had been completed 157 In the evening JASDF C 130 transport planes carrying one Japanese national 14 Afghan nationals at the behest of the United States and all Self Defense Forces personnel took off from Kabul International Airport arriving at Islamabad on the same night All Japanese nationals who wished to evacuate had been evacuated but many local Embassy employees who wished to evacuate were left behind The Japanese evacuation was completed 158 28 August edit On 28 August the United Kingdom concluded its evacuation of British civilians 159 At the peak of UK evacuation efforts more than 1 000 British troops were in Kabul by 28 August some had already left 159 The British government later confirmed that all British soldiers diplomats and other officials had left Afghanistan by the following day 160 The same day it was reported that the Taliban and Turkey had reached a draft agreement allowing Turkey to operate Kabul Airport after the departure of US forces for a transitional period 161 162 Turkish officials had stated that the country would not help operate the airport unless it can deploy its own security forces to guard it 163 29 August edit Further information Joint Statement on Afghanistan Evacuation Travel Assurances On 29 August the Associated Press reported that the Taliban had sealed off the airport as the US and its allies began concluding the airlift 164 The Taliban meanwhile insisted on taking over the security of Hamid Karzai International Airport themselves instead of Turkey with spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid stating that their own special forces would guarantee its safety 165 However 98 countries including the United States released a joint statement saying that they had received assurances from the Taliban that foreign nationals and Afghans would be allowed to leave the country 166 The United States military conducted a drone strike against a vehicle it stated was believed to be carrying at least one ISIL KP suicide bomber in Kabul who was trying to reach Kabul airport to attack it 167 The attack set off the explosives inside the vehicle killing three children in a nearby building according to Afghan officials 168 It was subsequently reported that the target was not a militant but civilians A relative of the deceased told CNN that nine people belonging to the same family including six children were killed due to the airstrike 169 Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid criticised the United States for conducting the strike instead of informing the group about the attackers beforehand and said that seven civilians had been killed due to the strike 170 Relatives later stated that 10 people who lived in the building next to the target vehicle were killed including seven children Some of those killed had previously worked for international organisations and held visas allowing them US entry US officials said that there had been a number of substantial and powerful subsequent explosions following the drone strike indicating that the vehicle had been carrying explosives and they were investigating reports of civilian casualties Relatives however denied any subsequent explosions had occurred and claimed the driver of the car was not affiliated with the group 167 171 172 30 August edit nbsp An American Delta Force operator standing guard at Kabul Airport 30 August 2021 A United States official told Reuters that anti missile defences had intercepted five rockets aimed at the Hamid Karzai International Airport Pajhwok Afghan News reported that several rockets had struck Kabul 173 ISIL K claimed responsibility for the attack 174 That morning the UN Security Council adopted a motion calling on the Taliban to let people freely leave Afghanistan However the motion did not include a proposal French President Emmanuel Macron had earlier floated about creating a UN safe zone in Kabul 175 Later that evening General Kenneth F McKenzie Jr announced that the United States had completed their evacuation from Afghanistan 16 Before departing the American forces used thermite bombs to disable several remaining counter rocket artillery and mortar systems they had used to protect the airfield from incoming rockets fired by ISIS K In addition the aircraft and vehicles at the airport were also disabled 176 The last two Americans to board an evacuation flight were acting Ambassador Ross Wilson the top US diplomat in Afghanistan and the final soldier to leave Afghanistan Major General Chris Donahue commanding general of the 82nd Airborne Division 177 The final flight a US Air Force C 17 departed at 11 59 p m Kabul time on 30 August 178 The US phase of the Afghanistan conflict 1978 present the 2001 2021 chapter that had begun with the 2001 invasion had concluded 179 Aftermath edit nbsp Afghan refugees resettled per 100K residents after the 2021 Afghan withdrawal and evacuation in each U S state and the District of Columbia according to CBS News In the early hours of 31 August Kabul time not long after the final American flight had left the Taliban marched into the airport firing their guns into the air in celebration and posing for pictures with abandoned NATO equipment 180 Taliban leaders flanked by the Badri 313 Battalion then entered the airport to hold a press conference declaring that Afghanistan is finally free and that they would shortly be announcing a new government 181 Post withdrawal evacuations edit Efforts to evacuate foreign nationals and at risk Afghans continued after military forces concluded their withdrawals On 6 September 2021 the United States evacuated four American citizens specifically an Amarillo Texas woman and her three children from Afghanistan via an overland route marking the first overland evacuation facilitated by the US Department of State since the military withdrawal The Taliban was aware of the evacuation and did not make any effort to stop it 182 183 On 9 September 2021 the first flight of foreigners out of Kabul since the US military withdrawal took place A Qatar Airways charter flight left the Kabul airport en route to Doha Qatar carrying some 200 passengers including Americans 184 A second such flight was scheduled for the following day 184 On 11 October 2021 Aman Khalili an Afghan interpreter who in 2008 had rescued then Senators Joe Biden Chuck Hagel and John Kerry was rescued along with his family At the time Khalili s family was rescued by the Human First Coalition and the U S State Department they were in Pakistan having already left Afghanistan 185 The UK Government s Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme to help Afghans fleeing the Taliban settle in the UK which was announced in August 2021 opened in January 2022 186 By October 26 2021 the U S government reported 363 known American citizens remained in Afghanistan with only 176 wanting to leave 240 had been evacuated through US government involvement and 74 on private flights with similar numbers for U S permanent residents 187 Evacuation destinations edit nbsp Refugee camp at Ramstein Air Base in Germany The largest base handling the initial outflow of Afghan evacuees was Al Udeid Air Base outside Doha Qatar where evacuees were vetted against the National Counterterrorism Center s terrorist watch list 121 The Ramstein Air Base in Germany the largest US Air Force base in Europe was also a hub for processing Afghan evacuees who had assisted the US and its allies during the Afghan war 188 189 About a fifth of all evacuees from Kabul passed through Ramstein 190 The base has capacity for up to 12 000 evacuees 188 Evacuees went through medical screenings and were biometrically scanned 190 188 At least 30 000 hot meals were served daily evacuees were housed in aircraft hangars and military tents 188 By 22 August about 7 000 people had landed at Ramstein and about 6 500 remained at the base 188 Around 700 departed on four flights to the US on 23 24 August 188 and by 25 August that number increased to around 800 189 As of 31 August a total of 11 700 people had been flown from Ramstein to the United States or another safe location 190 The USA established temporary housing at military bases in Virginia Texas Wisconsin and New Jersey for Afghan refugees 121 Temporary refugee accommodation was set up at Fort Lee Virginia Fort Bliss Texas Fort Dix New Jersey and Fort McCoy Wisconsin with a total capacity for 25 000 people 191 Fort Lee was the first to receive Operation Allied Refuge evacuees with 221 arriving at the fort on 30 July 191 Fort Pickett Virginia was also a site for temporary Afghan refugee accommodation 192 On 13 August 2021 the Canadian Government announced it would resettle an additional 20 000 vulnerable Afghans such as women leaders human rights workers and journalists This was in addition to an earlier initiative to resettle thousands of Afghans who had worked for the Canadian Government such as interpreters and embassy employees as well as their families 193 By March 2022 Canada resettled 8 580 Afghan refugees 194 On 17 August 2021 the United Kingdom Government announced a new resettlement programme that aims to resettle 20 000 Afghan refugees over a five year period in the UK 195 196 nbsp Afghan evacuees arrive at Naval Air Station Sigonella in Sicily 22 August On 23 August the first flight of Afghan evacuees had arrived in New Zealand on a RNZAF Lockheed C 130 Hercules aircraft 108 By 26 August the New Zealand Defence Force had evacuated 370 people from Afghanistan which included an unspecified number of New Zealand Australian and Afghan passport holders By 28 August the evacuees were transferred to the United Arab Emirates while awaiting travel to New Zealand 197 137 On 11 October the United Kingdom offered resettlement visas to the Afghan Women s Development Team of football players The 35 players had fled to Pakistan following the Taliban takeover 198 Pakistan s role in evacuations edit As of 27 August Pakistan has helped to evacuate more than 7 000 foreigners from Afghanistan through air and land routes since the fall of Kabul 199 By 27 August more than 113 military and commercial flights have landed in Pakistan 200 Dawn reported that around 400 special flights carrying Afghan nationals and foreigners from Kabul have departed from and arrived in Islamabad 201 On 27 August 2021 Pakistan s Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed announced that the Pakistan government has decided to offer 21 days transit visas to the evacuees 202 Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen 203 and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte 204 205 thanked Pakistan for its support and facilitation in evacuation of stranded people from Afghanistan Germany s Ambassador to Pakistan Bernhard Schlagheck thanked Pakistani authorities for the cooperation at Islamabad International Airport 206 International Monetary Fund s Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva 207 and Asian Development Bank s President Masatsugu Asakawa 208 praised Pakistan s efforts in evacuating the respective financial institution s personnel and their families from Afghanistan European Council President Charles Michel in a telephonic conversation with Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan also thanked him for evacuating European nationals working for different international organisations in Afghanistan 209 David Beasley Executive Director of the UN s World Food Programme WFP lauded Pakistan s support for repairing WFP s damaged planes returning from Kabul and establishing a humanitarian airbridge 209 Reactions editSee also Reactions to the Fall of Kabul 2021 Former UK Chief of the General Staff Richard Dannatt stated that the British government had been aware of the need to evacuate vulnerable Afghans for several years and that it would appear that the government was asleep on watch 210 The UK Foreign Office group charged with organising the evacuations was revealed to have left over 5000 email messages unread throughout the last week of the evacuations including many that contained important information of cases of vulnerable Afghans 211 The evacuation of Pen Farthing and his Nowzad Dogs charity came under particular scrutiny in the UK 212 Visas for 68 people including the staff of the charity and their immediate family members had originally been granted on 23 August but Farthing chose not to leave immediately Permission for the charity s animals 173 dogs and cats to be airlifted was granted two days later but they were blocked from entering the airport on 26 August and then on 27 August the Afghan staff of the charity were blocked from boarding the evacuation flight 213 Farthing left Afghanistan along with the animals but not his staff on 28 August 214 Some journalists criticized this prioritizing animals over people as racist and damaging to Westerners reputation among local people 215 216 217 On 28 August a group of Afghans who had worked as security guards at the Finnish embassy in Kabul organised a protest over being left behind in Afghanistan 218 Airbnb announced it would provide free temporary housing for 20 000 Afghan refugees in their destination communities 219 See also editKabul Airlift 1928 1929 A large scale evacuation of British and a number European diplomatic staff in Kabul by the Royal Air Force Welcome US Organization that coordinates support to Afghan refugees in the United StatesReferences edit a b c Chughtai Alia Infographic Tracking the flights out of Kabul www aljazeera com Retrieved 25 August 2021 Saric Ivana 26 August 2021 U S allies scramble to leave Afghanistan Axios Retrieved 26 August 2021 Operation d evacuation en Afghanistan www 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August 2021 Revealed Foreign Office ignored frantic pleas to help Afghans the Guardian Archived from the original on 28 August 2021 Davies Caroline Allegretti Aubrey 26 August 2021 UK defence secretary hits out at supporters of animal rescuer in Kabul The Guardian Retrieved 28 August 2021 Bird Steve Fisher Lucy Penna Dominic Malnick Edward 28 August 2021 Pen Farthing said to have left voicemail for Ben Wallace s adviser I am going to destroy you The Telegraph Archived from the original on 12 January 2022 Retrieved 29 August 2021 Jackson Siba 28 August 2021 Afghanistan Pen Farthing on his way home with his dogs and cats after charter plane picks them up from Kabul Sky News Retrieved 29 August 2021 Frantzman Seth J 31 August 2021 Questions raised over Afghan animals put ahead of people in Kabul The Jerusalem Post Retrieved 20 September 2021 Wadhera Celine 28 August 2021 Afghan staff left behind as Pen Farthing evacuated from Kabul with dogs and cats independent co uk Archived from the original on 28 August 2021 Elledge Jonn 27 August 2021 The row over Afghan pets shows the UK s animal obsession has gone too far newstatesman com Archived from the original on 13 September 2021 Afghan embassy guards protest unpaid salaries lack of evacuation by Finland Yle Uutiset 29 August 2021 Franklin Jonathan 24 August 2021 Airbnb Will Provide Housing To 20 000 Afghan Refugees Around The World For Free NPR Archived from the original on 24 August 2021 Further reading edit 727 that evacuated Afghan special forces Enno Lenze Kabul save yourself who may and Pineapple Express Berlin Story News 3 September 2021 Army paratroopers traded dip for a Toyota gun truck used to secure the Kabul airport Task amp Purpose 7 October 2021 Afghan pilots engineers marooned in Tajikistan Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title 2021 Kabul airlift amp oldid 1220775260, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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