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.
| 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 | |
| Objective | Evacuations of international diplomatic, military and civilian staff, including national civilians |
| Date | 13 August 2021 – 30 August 2021 |
| Executed by | Australia Austria Azerbaijan Belgium (Operation Red Kite) Canada (Operation AEGIS) Czech Republic Denmark Finland France (Operation Apagan) Germany Hungary (Operation Sámán) India (Operation Devi Shakti) Indonesia Ireland Italy (Operation Aquila Omnia) Japan Lithuania Luxembourg Mexico Netherlands New Zealand (Operation Kōkako) Norway Pakistan Philippines Poland Portugal Romania Russia Slovakia Slovenia Singapore South Korea (Operation Miracle) Spain (Operation Antígona) Sweden Switzerland Turkey Ukraine United Kingdom (Operation Pitting) United States (Operation Allies Refuge and private activities) Taliban (security and logistics) |
| Outcome | Over 122,000 people have been airlifted abroad and end of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) |
| Casualties | 195+ killed
|
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.
The evacuation operations were one of the largest airlifts in history. Between 14 and 25 August, the US alone evacuated about 82,300 people from Hamid Karzai International Airport, including US citizens, Special Immigrant Visa applicants, and other vulnerable Afghans. In total, over 122,000 people were airlifted abroad. The evacuation was completed on August 30, one day before a deadline agreed upon with the Taliban.