by Mikael Cook with Robert Conlin
Editor’s Note: The following is an eye-opening excerpt from Mikael and Robert’s upcoming book: Life and Death at Abbey Gate: The Fall of Afghanistan and the Operation to Save our Allies which will publish February 15, 2024. Pre-order your copy here
When the 2/1 Marines arrived at HKIA, the chaotic conditions that existed inside the airport on August 15 and 16 had improved. Like many horrified people around the world, they had seen the video images of Afghan civilians falling from taxiing Air Force C-17 Globemasters onto the tarmac.
That frenzied push by Afghan civilians onto the HKIA runways was stoked by news of President Ghani’s departure and the evacuation of the U.S. embassy. Tens of thousands of people stormed into the airport.1 According to the Central Command summary report, there were only an estimated 1,600 U.S. and coalition military personnel at the airport initially to stop them.
But they were able to piecemeal a large enough deterrent force to clear the airfield after a Herculean two-day effort. The arrival of elements of 82nd Airborne helped greatly. So too did a contingent of 1,200 Afghan National Strike Force (NSU) members.
Also known as “Zero” units, they were CIA-aligned soldiers who had a reputation for playing fast and loose outside the lines. The CENTCOM report notes that they offered to help clear the HKIA airfield in exchange for a promise of evacuation for them and their families. By some estimates, over 7,000 of the evacuees ended up being “Zero” unit members and their families.
The most unorthodox assistance to the beleaguered HKIA protection force came from the Taliban, who offered Rear Admiral Peter Vasely, the overall commander of U.S. Forces-Afghanistan, help in clearing the airfield. Maybe they thought it would buy them goodwill from the U.S. government and improve their reputation in the eyes of the world. Or maybe they simply wanted to limit the number of Afghans who were able to leave by pushing them back outside the gate. Whatever the case, with flight operations at a standstill and a number of incoming troops like 2/1 Marines en route or scheduled to be shortly, Vasely accepted.
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About the Authors:
Mikael Cook is a former U.S. Army Staff Sergeant and veteran of the war in Afghanistan. During the August 2021 evacuation of Afghanistan, Mikael was a part of the #DigitalDunkirk team that saved thousands of Afghan allies who had been left behind. He was personally responsible for the evacuation of 20 of our allies, most of whom have now joined him in Michigan. Mikael is an active member of the veteran community and continues his advocacy work for the Afghan allies left behind.
Robert Conlin is a writer living in midcoast Maine. A US Navy veteran and graduate of the Boston University School of Communication, he’s also a former newspaper and wire service reporter and editor.
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