Jazmin Li
On August 15, 2021, the Taliban took control of Afghanistan's capital, Kabul, causing the city's airport to descend into chaos. Thousands of Afghans rushed onto the tarmac in a desperate attempt to flee the country. The airport, which remained under NATO and US military control, was the only way out of Afghanistan. Evacuees included foreign diplomatic staff, military personnel, foreign civilians, Afghan allies, and vulnerable Afghans. The airlift was the largest non-combatant evacuation mission in US military history, with US military personnel taking 79,000 civilians through the airport and out of Afghanistan over an 18-day mission. However, the evacuation efforts were marred by a suicide bombing attack on August 26, 2021, which killed 13 US service members and approximately 170 Afghan civilians.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date | 16 August 2021 |
| Location | Hamid Karzai International Airport, Kabul, Afghanistan |
| Context | Taliban takeover of Afghanistan |
| Evacuees | Foreign diplomatic staff, military personnel, foreign civilians, Afghan allies, vulnerable Afghans, British citizens |
| Number of Evacuees | 123,000+ people |
| Security Threats | ISIS-K; Taliban |
| Attack | Suicide bombing and gunfire |
| Fatalities | 182+ people, including 169 Afghan civilians and 13 U.S. service members |
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What You'll Learn
A 2021 suicide bombing killed 13 US service members and 170 Afghan civilians
In August 2021, the US military and its coalition partners evacuated more than 123,000 people from Afghanistan via airlifts from Kabul International Airport (then known as Hamid Karzai International Airport). The airlift was the largest non-combatant evacuation mission in US military history, with US military personnel taking 79,000 civilians through the airport and out of Afghanistan over an 18-day mission.
During the evacuation, a suicide bombing killed 13 US service members and roughly 170 Afghan civilians at the Kabul airport. The attack was one of the deadliest days for American forces in the past decade of the 20-year war in Afghanistan. The dead Americans included eleven Marines, one soldier from the 8th Psychological Operations Group, and one Navy corpsman. The 13 US service members were posthumously awarded the Congressional Gold Medal.
ISIS-K claimed responsibility for the attack and named the bomber as Abdul Rahman al-Logari. Eyewitnesses, including US military personnel and an Afghan doctor, corroborated that the gunfire was extensive and resulted in multiple injuries. The Pentagon, however, maintained that all casualties were attributed to the suicide bombing and that no civilians were hit by coalition gunfire.
The attack was condemned by many nations, the European Commission, and the United Nations.
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The Taliban's rapid takeover caused chaos at the airport
The Taliban's swift takeover of Afghanistan sparked chaos at Kabul's Hamid Karzai International Airport, as thousands attempted to flee the country. This surge of evacuees included foreign diplomatic staff, military personnel, foreign civilians, Afghan allies, and vulnerable Afghans, such as journalists and human rights activists. The US and its coalition partners evacuated over 123,000 people via airlift from the airport between August 14 and 30, 2021. The airport remained under NATO and US military control despite the collapse of the central government.
The rapid Taliban advance took many by surprise, including US intelligence, which had estimated that Kabul would hold for at least six months after the withdrawal of US troops. However, the Taliban took most of Afghanistan's provinces in quick succession during an offensive that began in May 2021. This swift offensive led to a mass exodus from the country, with thousands rushing to Kabul International Airport, the only way out of Afghanistan at the time.
The situation at the airport was described as chaotic, with people swarming the tarmac and even climbing onto planes in a desperate attempt to escape. Roads leading to the airport were gridlocked as people tried to make their way there. The UK, France, and other Western countries deployed additional troops to assist in the evacuation of their citizens and Afghan allies.
The Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan also raised security concerns, particularly regarding the escape of hundreds of Islamic State-Khorasan Province members from jails. This concern culminated in a deadly attack at the airport on August 26, 2021, when a suicide bomber detonated an explosive belt at one of the gates. The attack, claimed by ISIS-K, resulted in the deaths of at least 182 people, including US service members and Afghan civilians.
The US President, Joe Biden, addressed the nation following the attack, honouring the fallen US service members and expressing sorrow for the Afghan victims. He also asserted that the US would hunt down those responsible for the attack. The Taliban's rapid takeover of Afghanistan, which led to the chaotic scenes at Kabul's airport, highlighted the urgency and danger faced by those attempting to flee the country.
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The airlift was the largest non-combatant evacuation in US military history
The fall of Kabul in 2021 saw the US and its coalition partners evacuate more than 123,000 people from Afghanistan via airlifts from Kabul International Airport (then known as Hamid Karzai International Airport). This airlift was the largest non-combatant evacuation in US military history, with US military personnel taking 79,000 civilians through the airport and out of Afghanistan over an 18-day mission. The airport remained under NATO and US military control despite the collapse of the central government.
The airlift included foreign diplomatic staff and military personnel, foreign civilians, Afghan allies, and vulnerable Afghans such as journalists and human rights activists. The Afghans who were permitted to leave were those with proper credentials, such as Special Immigrant Visas or other US visas. The majority of Afghan applicants for US visas, such as those who had served as interpreters for US forces during the 20-year war, were left behind. The US government estimated that there were fewer than 200 Americans in Afghanistan who wanted to leave at the time of the US military withdrawal on 30 August 2021.
The evacuation came as the Taliban took control of Afghanistan's provinces in rapid succession during a major offensive. This period saw concerns raised about the thousands of refugees who had fled Taliban advances and were now stuck in Kabul. Shops in the city removed advertisements featuring women, and public posters featuring women were vandalized. There were also reports of a significant increase in food prices, with vendors attempting to liquidate their stocks to raise money to escape the country.
The airlift occurred amidst chaos at Kabul airport, with thousands of Afghans crowding around planes on the tarmac, desperate to escape the country. Civilian flights were cancelled, and roads outside the airport were gridlocked as people rushed to the airport. The evacuation followed the Taliban's takeover of the Kabul presidential palace, the Arg, with Taliban co-founder Abdul Ghani Baradar arriving at the airport to prepare the takeover of the government.
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![Chaos [Blu-ray]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/417gQn0D2jL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
ISIS-K claimed responsibility for the attack
ISIS-K, a regional affiliate of the Islamic State, claimed responsibility for the 2021 Kabul airport attack. The attack was a suicide bombing and shooting outside Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, killing 13 U.S. service members and more than 150 Afghan civilians. The group emerged in 2014 and seeks to establish a caliphate in what they call Khorasan, a historical term for a region covering parts of Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, and Central Asia. ISIS-K is considered even more extreme than the Taliban in its views on women and ethnic minorities, and its members are said to have splintered from the Taliban over these ideological differences.
ISIS-K named the bomber as Abdul Rahman al-Logari. The attack was the largest single loss of life of U.S. service members in Afghanistan since February 2020. The United States military conducted an investigation into the attack, confirming that all those killed in the strike were innocent civilians. The Taliban, who were helping U.S. forces maintain security at the airport, also condemned the attack, vowing to stop such "evil circles."
The Kabul airport attack occurred during the evacuation of foreign diplomatic staff, military personnel, foreign civilians, Afghan allies, and vulnerable Afghans following the Taliban's rapid takeover of Afghanistan. Between 14 and 30 August 2021, the U.S. and its coalition partners evacuated more than 123,000 people from Kabul International Airport. The airlift was the largest non-combatant evacuation mission in U.S. military history, with U.S. forces taking 79,000 civilians through the airport and out of Afghanistan over 18 days.
The attack highlighted the chaotic nature of the evacuation process, with thousands of Afghans crowding the airport in desperation to flee the country. The U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan was spurred in part by concerns over ISIS-K's planned attacks on U.S. troops and others.
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The attack was condemned by world leaders
In August 2021, the US and its coalition partners evacuated more than 123,000 people from Afghanistan via airlifts from Kabul International Airport. The airlift was the largest non-combatant evacuation mission in US military history, with US military personnel taking 79,000 civilians through the airport and out of Afghanistan. During the evacuation, thousands of Afghans crowded around the planes at Kabul airport, desperate to escape the Taliban and the country's rapidly deteriorating situation.
On 26 August 2021, two explosions occurred outside Kabul airport, killing at least 60 people and injuring over 100. The blasts also injured three US soldiers and Taliban guards. The attack was one of several terrorist threats at the airport, with three gates shut in response. The attack was claimed by ISIS-K, and the Taliban launched an investigation.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky referred to the incident as a "terrible terrorist attack", while German Chancellor Angela Merkel branded it a "heinous" act, emphasising that it targeted vulnerable people seeking security and freedom. Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi "strongly condemned" the attack, underscoring the continued global threat of terrorism. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen joined the condemnation, calling the attacks "cowardly and inhuman", and Beijing's foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian acknowledged the complex security situation in Afghanistan.
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Frequently asked questions
Thousands of Afghans rushed onto the tarmac of Kabul International Airport (also known as Hamid Karzai International Airport) in a desperate attempt to flee the country after the Taliban overthrew the Western-backed government. This resulted in chaos and deaths.
The death toll from the 2021 Kabul airport attack was at least 182 people, including 13 U.S. service members and 169 Afghan civilians. Two of the killed civilians were British dual nationals, and one was the child of a British national.
The U.S. military took control of the airport and the airspace above Afghanistan to manage the chaotic evacuation. The UK sent 200 additional troops, taking the total military presence to 900. France relocated its embassy in Kabul to the airport to evacuate its citizens.
Yes, there was a suicide bombing attack at the Kabul airport in 2021. ISIS-K claimed responsibility for the attack, naming the bomber as Abdul Rahman al-Logari. The attack killed at least 182 people, including U.S. service members and Afghan civilians.
