The Logistics of Evacuating Afghanistan

Writing by Sam Denby
Research by Sam Denby and Tristan Purdy
Editing by Alexander Williard
Animation by Josh Sherrington
Sound by Graham Haerther
Thumbnail by Simon Buckmaster

References:

Select footage courtesy Getty and AP; Select imagery courtesy Geolayers; Select music courtesy Epidemic sound

[hasanok]

I swear if the end of the world came, this guy would make a logistics video of the apocalypse

[abooper]

Got to love how the Turkish government was so desperate to evacuate its citizens that it relocated the entirety of Istanbul to Crimea ( 8:36 )

[Chris-Polanco]

This breakdown of the evacuation was next level. It’s easy to become numb to the news but this video really just hit differently

[erictaylor]

5:30 It should be noted that this pilot had been *ORDERED* not to allow the extra refugees in his plane. He chose to disobey those orders.
As it turned out the pilot had a very good reason to disobey his order, but there it was in no way assured that he could convince his superiors that there was a good reason to disobey his orders.
Disobeying orders is extremely serious. Not only can it end your military career, it can end your freedom.
The pilot took a huge risk. Clearly he felt that getting those people out of harms way was more important than his career.

[gtoger]

This is an incredible story. Thank you for doing such a great job in telling it.

[DukcTaim]

This guy never gets tired of planes. True legend

[jgr]

pls no one tell Ryanair that people can fly without a seat

[McMurica]

crew: "hundreds of extra people are on the plane"
pilot: "oh well"
*pilot becomes international human smuggler*

[Gigaamped]

This is practically a clinical summarization of the Afghan evac. Kudos to you Sam. Never has the general public had access to such comprehensive explainers so close to when the events actually happened before the last 2 years or so but this one on this event will surely be the most popular.

[JPlumsIX]

8:35 — glad to hear Istanbul has relocated to the Sea of Azov

[NovemberOrWhatever]

Remember, the last event mentioned was on August 30th, meaning Wendover did all this in at most 8 days. I think we can forgive an extra United and a misplaced Istanbul

[sometwo]

This is the stuff that is basically never covered anywhere with both detail, and ease of understanding. The logistics that is behind the evacuation of civilians and services members is insane, and I applaud all involved in helping people get to safety

[MichiruEll]

Somehow looking at this operation through the lense of logistics is making it feel way more real and emotional than images of panic at the airport. I think watching the news has made me fairly numb to images of despair and suffering. But talking about logistics is making me think about the decisions I would make in this case, and about all the lives impacted. Thank you for this

[PersonaRandomNumbers]

I had heard about how the evacuation went, but going into this level of detail makes everything all the more heartbreaking.

[RafiOmar]

Wonderfully told. Really harrowing ordeal for everyone involved. But one thing I must point out: at 8:35 the area shown as Istanbul is actually Crimea.

[siphiy]

As an Afghan myself, this has to be the best I’ve watched in a while. The accuracy is beyond outstanding. Besides that I’ve been a fan of your channels for a while now. Love the good work

[rfiorill]

Woah, everything in this video is shockingly accurate and thorough. I coordinated a lot of the aeromedical evacuation flights during this time, I couldn't have done a better summation of the evacuation. Thank you for showing the public the hard work and dedication we in the military had to get the at risk Afghans out.

[lordsiomai]

Despite whatever opinion might have on the entire situation in Afghanistan and the American pull out, there's no denying the fact that we must honor the sacrifice of everyone who helped in the evacuation process. Thank you Sam for putting the spotlight to the ones who deserve the much needed appreciation after this whole ordeal.

[aParkingMeter]

I am a service-member stationed out at Ramstein AB and while I have somewhat pieced some this together through context, this sheds so much light on to the big picture I am contributing to. I appreciate this video and the way you always explain things, I have a renewed vigor to help the Afghani's out thanks to you.

[astromaniac]

I’m your tan from Afghanistan and thank you for this video. My family was on that evacuation by the US. It’s amazing and emotionally troubling at the same time. Thank you.