The Logistics of Evacuating Afghanistan
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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:
[1] www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world...
[2] www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world...
[3] twitter.com/Zabehulah_M33/sta...
[4] twitter.com/Zabehulah_M33/sta...
[5] twitter.com/MilMonWorld/statu...
[6] www.state.gov/joint-statement...
[7] twitter.com/NicolaCareem/stat...
[8] twitter.com/Maxar/status/1427...
[9] www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world...
[10] www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world...
Select footage courtesy Getty and AP; Select imagery courtesy Geolayers; Select music courtesy Epidemic sound
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 )
underrated lol
best comment I've seen on YT for a while lol
That's a big oof
Oops 😬
@AAA AAA that was on august 26 genius, and not in the embassy, but the outside gate of the airport. Did you watch the video?
I swear if the end of the world came, this guy would make a logistics video of the apocalypse
He already did it’s on his other channel The IRS plan to collect taxes after doomsday
He did. it's called "How the US government will survive doomsday"
omg he did
The Logistics of the Holocaust
When you think about it, he sort of has already with COVID.
crew: "hundreds of extra people are on the plane" pilot: "oh well" *pilot becomes international human smuggler*
Technically they were all documented and approved to be on that plane. It was just overloaded.
@@LaniakeaDenizen I am sure the Taliban did not 🚫 give him permission! Hahaha Remember that is the legitimate government of Afghanistan regardless of how you feel about it.
Let's go Brandon!
@@LucMantique Listen you anime pfp swamp gas cloud. If you want to say "f*ck Biden" then say it. This sophomoric BS only makes you look childish.
@@LaniakeaDenizen what? Im very confused
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.
He DESERVES a medal of honor
8:37 It should be noted that istambul is not there
Amen.
I hope he got court martialed for insubordination
@@luisvilca4467 Actually, he got an award for it. My point is, sometimes, rarely, following orders is not the correct thing to do.
This guy never gets tired of planes. True legend
@its fine shut up bot
And Wendover Productions wept, for there were no more videos about planes left to produce
Planes are pretty cool. They literally can fly
NO WAY!!!!. Are u sure?????
You're thinking of reallifelore
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.
🔷SERCH ADITYA RATHORE-HE ALSO MAKES INFORMATIVE CONTENT LIKE WENDOVER
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
I'm completely cut off from regular news sources, the only thing I saw was the pic of people climbing on that one aircraft. By the end of this video though, I'm just impressed that this went so well after the taliban surrounded the airport.
I am actually just surprised that the Taliban didnt do any funny business(attacking the airport, car bomb, suicide bomb) during the evacuation. Though in all honesty, I always suspect that there is already a backroom deal talk between the US and the fighters before everything ended up where they are.
@@blastermaster5039 It would have be stupid and counterproductive for the Taliban to attack the airport or the like. The US was leaving. That is what they wanted. Attacking them would only give a reason to go back in.And there was a deal between the Taliban and the US where the Taliban gave them a certain number of days to evacuate everyone they wanted to evacuate without any arguments or interference.
Exactly, I would be so on top of world events if the news just gave the facts like this
@@blastermaster5039 Attacking civilians during an evacuation? Come on man. The Taliban have far more honor than American police.
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
I hope you're doing well. I assume you don't actually live in Afghanistan as of present?
@@Hectopath2006 I’m doing well thanks for asking. No I do not live in Afghanistan I moved to the US 7 years ago.
@Charlie minor details lol
@Charlie To be technically-assholish about it: the location of Istanbul is pretty irrelevant to the evacuation efforts. (I mean, unless you misplace it in Antarctica or something)
8:35 - glad to hear Istanbul has relocated to the Sea of Azov
I was just about to write this as well lol
i didn't know that turkey changed there capital
That is probably one his worst mistakes lol
Russian nationalists are having a stiffy ...
@@iliashdz9106 Alongside the tone deaf style.
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
That’s an excellent way to look at it :) the extra United was funny, had to go back to make sure I didn’t mishear.
News moves fast, but it's rare to see something so thought-out and well-researched in such a short matter of time.
He has a team. Not taking credit away from him but its important to also acknowledge them. Yh but hats off 👏.
Editedtedit it out!
◽SERCH ADITYA RATHORE-HE ALSO MAKES INFORMATIVE CONTENT LIKE WENDOVER
Kudos to the pilot of the C-17 who decided to take off with 800+ aboard, risking his career while doing something his aircraft was fully capable of, to get all those people to safety. That was an act of humanity that deserves to be applauded.
One of your best. Incredible effort to get this done within 8 days!!!💜 Now, I must see the other part on Nebula! Godspeed to all the refugees. Much respect and gratitude to all those who worked with the evacuation. And let us not forget those left behind....
This breakdown of the evacuation was next level. It’s easy to become numb to the news but this video really just hit differently
Agreed I hope this helps the Americans who are anti-immigrant. it hurts me so much when people refuse to see the humanity of these poor individuals
I wish the UNSC would liberate afghanistan and make it a world refugee centre
@@KiLLJoYKZhead yeah, just like how they tried to liberate Harvest from the Covenant invasion in 2562. We all know how that one went. Not gonna happen buddy 🙄
🛑SERCH ADITYA RATHORE-HE ALSO MAKES INFORMATIVE CONTENT LIKE WENDOVER
@@KiLLJoYKZhead No thanks, they lost huge number of outer colonies, Reach (Earth doorstep) and nearly lost the Earth itself.
pls no one tell Ryanair that people can fly without a seat
😂
I'm sure the Spirit Airlines execs are already working on it.
Lmao 😔😂🤣😭
🟪SERCH ADITYA RATHORE-HE ALSO MAKES INFORMATIVE CONTENT LIKE WENDOVER
🤣😂🤣😂
It's very important to note that the US was not the only country doing evacuations and trying to contain the chaos on the airport. For example, the Dutch special forces (KCT) were also deployed to help and contain people trying to get onto the airport and helped to evacuate people. Together with trying to hold off the Taliban and preventing bombings.
Wendover, thank you for posting your primary sources, I want to write an article on this now and you gave me to perfect stepping-off point. You are awesome!
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.
this mistake definitely won't anger anyone at all - good thing those regions are low in political tension.
well it is actually around Anapa and Novorosiisk in Krasnodarski Krai
I notice that as well
Urban Sprawl really has gone wild!
Forgivable mistake
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
i felt the same
agreed, I teared up watching this.
Very well said.
Biden is ruining the US. Democrats will have us Doomed.
Yeah I appreciate how he doesn’t just say “found human remains” he goes on to explain who the person was, his profession, etc. the news doesn’t do that
Your video style pivots well to current affairs content. I'd love to see more similar ones - even those not related to logistics. Thanks Sam
Honestly one of the best videos I've seen in a while. You should win an Emmy.
This is an incredible story. Thank you for doing such a great job in telling it.
As fearsome as the Taliban are, even they have be wary of where they park.
For real. All you get from mainstream media is the Biden-bad or Biden-good spin. They'd never cover these events like this
Yes very much so. I got so overwhelmed and emotional.. I don't know what to say
@@canyonoverland5003 1¹1
Yes. There is so much more detail to the chain of events
I drive by the Dulles expo center almost daily. They’ve shut down most of that area around it, and have in sense turned the expo center into its own little base with a lot of fencing and checkpoints
I live in the area, is it worth stopping by? Do they accept civilian volunteers?
Trump would say it's because Afghanistan isn't sending their best people. But he would also say everyone left behind were very fine people, on both sides. And also that this was his decision, but Biden pulling out was a disaster. I think he even recently said we should go back into war with them too.
@@soulife8383 ? Rent free
@@soulife8383 lol someone has TDS
Enjoy having the GDP of Dollar Tree and being ruled by a bunch of thugs with machineguns..
What a fantastic video. The level of research, and the clarity to communicate are outstanding. Congrats!
Thank you so much for this video and information! You've done a great job of gathering and presenting info!
I had heard about how the evacuation went, but going into this level of detail makes everything all the more heartbreaking.
🌕Serch Aditya Rathore - He also makes informative content like Wendover
What's heartbreaking is the death toll from the war. You feel heartbroken about those 2 men who fell from the plane? Why, cos you've got a name and a story about them? That's arbitrary. How about HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS of other corpses? All thanks to America. Ironically, Afghanistan had fewer deaths under the Taliban. Not cos the Taliban are nice, but cos war is just that bad.
@@ArawnOfAnnwn you don't have facts on your side. The US didn't kill nearly that many civilians, nor was the US anywhere near as damaging as the Taliban rule.
@@thekwoka4707 Bruh, the facts aren't on YOUR side. The war has been responsible for way more deaths than that of the period during which the Taliban were in control. Go ahead and look it up. And don't try inflating the number by quoting figures for the whole civil war, since I and you are talking about the "Taliban rule" period aka from the last time they took Kabul (1996). Cos, surprise surprise, war really is that destructive. And the US visited war onto that country again.
@@thekwoka4707 Da da comrade. In your Russia? Facts take sides. Else you go to Gulag!
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.
Istanbul isn’t in Crimea though
Ukrainian Istanbul
You’re capping Rob
@@krazymuncher2288 De facto Russian since 2014
Tools of the empire.
This guy explained this video with such simplicity but the information included in it was massive. Kudos.
This was a touching way to retell the troubling and difficult part of the story of moving almost 100K people in the course of about 10 days
And guess what was used to evacuate everyone. Whispers: *Airplanes*
I'm sure there was a boat or two involved at some point somewhere And busses
planes, trains, and automobiles
Planes are the superior species! Humans are mere weaklings compared to the wise planes!!
United States sure seems to excel at relocation! LOL
I know. I thought,Wow Wendover is tackling something different, the evacuation of Afghanistan...oh wait, it involves Airports and Airplanes.
I live like 20 min from Dulles and did some volunteering a couple days ago, it was crazy, I was teaching some little kids the colors and the numbers in English
That's great to hear! Amazing job!!
People like you help turn America into a better place! Thank you for helping in the Evacuation effort :)
@Japanese Yes Nah it's a good place. You just watch too much media
@Japanese Yes you sound silly right now lmao
@@luck7302 true that!
Another fantastic video. Really well made. Looking forward to the next video. Keep up the good work.
Totally appreciate and salute all the personnel involved in the evacuation process. It's unparalleled.
12:14 "This way, the passenger density was far higher than if using seats". * Budget airlines are taking notes.
Just make the entire floor into a mattress, let's go!
8:35 those damn Russians seem to have annexed Istanbul and moved it near the Krym to strengthen their influence. I love little mistakes. Always on the hunt. Great video
🔵Serch Aditya Rathore - He also makes informative content like Wendover
Came here for this.
I guess Tzargrad is now rightful soviet clay.. SOYUUUZ NERUSHIIIMYYY
@@Lighthammer18 - Rezpublic Sobotny!
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.
Wendover the day after his first child is born: "The Logistics of Having my Child"
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.
Thank you for service
Proof of Service then please.
@@PizzaaPandaa How could someone not end a sentence like any 1st grader? The legal requirements of Proof of Service when asked are clear and a response is mandatory for anyone who declares to be or ever has been a servicemember. I do not expect a kid like you to understand the U.S Constitution.
BE ALERT ISL4M IT'S SUCKS!!!
@@MrFlatage never really understood trolling that much, what part of it is your favorite? genuine question not like mad or anything
I'm here in Qatar deployed at Al Udeid and the whole thing was crazy. Thanks for putting it all in perspective... I was not sure where they went after the left here
What an incredible video, It perfectly explains what we have been hearing, and seeing on the news for weeks.
Excellently made. Thank you for furthering the scope on this whole hodgepodge of an event.
“The Logistics of Wendover Productions Videos“ It's incredible how fast it is!
I flew out of Dulles on August 26. While they did have blue curtains up, you could see hundreds of Afghan refugees through the small gaps in the curtains, as you walked past. It was a sobering experience to be so close to those who had been forced to flee their homeland.
This comment broke me. I've been passively absorbing news about the whole thing. I watched the whole video and I was fine. I read this and the image flashed in my head as if I was there and I broke. Fuck, I cannot imagine what a hundred thousand people are going through right now.
@@Brucey69 WTF??
volunteered to house them bc you cause this shenanigan in the first place
@@kaidanalenko5222 to be fair, it was a causality of Russia/USSR & US issues. The Taliban would not even exist if it wasn't for the USSR's former military partnership with Afghanistan, wherein Afghan officers were sent to military academies in the USSR for two years, and often returned with communist leanings. That combined with the USSR's bombing of an Afghan village gave way to the rise of the Mujahideen insurgency movement. Many of the Mujahideen sent their wives and children to Pakistan, in order to keep them safe, while they fought against the communists. The children were indoctrinated within the madrassas (Islamic seminaries) that took them in. Those madrassas offered safety, shelter, and an education for the children, but that education was skewed towards religious extremism. When the boys got old enough, they were sent back to Afghanistan to continue the anti-communist war effort and they later rebranded as the "Taliban." This name was chosen because "Taliban" comes from the word "tālib", which means "student," a reference to the madrassas (Islamic seminaries) that most members had grown up in. That all being said, the U.S. absolutely has a duty to take in refugees. We share a big part of the responsibility for the current condition of Afghanistan, and thus we owe it to those who want to emigrate to welcome them with open arms. More importantly, though, even if this was a different country and the US was not involved in the decay of the social order, as a nation largely made up of immigrants, we should offer a haven for those who want a better life for themselves and their families.
@@SpencerGD Dude, absolutely, 100%. So well put.
I quarantined in ft McCoy for the navy’s two week quarantine before RTC and hearing Ft McCoy gave me chills
This is incredibly emotional to watch. I don't think I could have read that out, without bursting into tears every couple of minutes
that pilot that broke protocol and took off with the civilians deserves a medal holy shit.
Waiting for that one guy to say no for the sake of being a contrarian on the internet, but yes, he deserves one.
@@cf1925 I mean, if he had crashed from being overweight we'd be singing a different tune. On the other hand, I suspect military pilots have a good idea how far they can push their aircrafts' official limits.
You mean he deserves a "Holy Shit Medal"
he'll most likely be court martialed. you don't disobey the brass.
nope! because of what he did the ppl from all over afghanistan rushed to that airport to flee because of that guy taking in ppl without their papers which caused more chaos and that bomb blast killing hundreds.
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.
Absolutely. Goodness bless these workers
Thank you for what? Destroying a country and then helping those select few run away from justice? Why didn't Wendover mention the fact that the ISIS attack was followed up by American troops shooting and killing unarmed civillians? Why didn't he mention that the US puppet regime fled with $150m in cash? Why does he say so confidently that the women are afraid for their lives yet the following morning women were seen going to school, on national television, and the new government openly clarified that womens rights will be protected as under the Shariah? Why didn't he mention the logistics of how the Afghan national army (US puppet force, black shield from South park) surrendered en mass against an apparently inferior force? Why didn't he mention how the Taliban set up a hotline for crime and public relations open to all Afghans and yet it was shut down by the west? Why does he not mention how I the aftermath, the US froze the national reserve account of Afghanistan and caused increased poverty in a nation already brought to it's knees at the face of nato terrorism?
@@xerogue Thank you! I I do think Sam explained some things well and it was still nice to see the evacuation logistics, but I completely agree with you in the way he said certain things.
@@xerogue "Women's rights will be protected as under the Shariah". That's all we need to know about where you stand then.
@@Jo3sX yep, clearly you don't understand what Shariah is.
Thank you for shedding light on the process. Sad to see so many people have to leave their life in a suitcase. I hope such day never comes again for anyone on this planet *peace*
Very well researched. Kudos to you. I watched on Nebula to help you out a little more!
Thank you for sharing this difficult story in depth. One minor correction: 8:36 shows a flight to Istanbul instead landing in the eastern part of Crimea.
And at 14:20 he says United airlines twice
dont worry, i think wendover wanted to make this video asap so it could stay relevant for longer.
I was about to point this out myself. Obviously I had been beaten to the punch, lol. I had one of those double-take kind of moments where I had to rewind and see again what didn't look right, haha
@@batmanjones655 what a name
what are you talking about that is 100% istanbul, ah the russians must be so proud of there city (joke)
I'm still waiting for the ultimate meta-video "The Logistics of Making a Wendover Productions Video".
He's already done that, but on Tiktok. One of his 1st videos there
@@tristianwilson3497 whats his username
He will appear while editing the video on a plane eventually.
this is an incredible report, thank you so much.
Thank you for actually linking the nebula video in the description
I was a part of this in Al-Udeid. I know he mentioned it, but it cannot be understated, we weren’t prepared, the heat was unbearable, the conditions were terrible… but we did our best. We got the mission complete.
You did an incredible job, sir. Thank you :)
How do you feel that 20 years of war was a waste?
It's "a part".
🔳Serch Aditya Rathore - He also makes informative content like Wendover
Thank you sir
8:36 - pretty sure that’s not Istanbul. Pretty sure that’s somewhere a USAF C130 would DEFINITELY avoid flying.
It's Kerch. I live nearby, and I assure you there is a warm reception waiting for any US Transgender C130 that gets near 😊
@@andrewemery4272 Russia?💀
What the news failed to do and what wendover succeed in was providing a sense of scale. This is a really good video.
Great video. I appreciate the clarity
Can’t wait for the incredible logistics of the digestive system
Well, I will not spoil it for you, but it's a shit show.
Yo that has literally nothing to do with airplanes.
no please i hate biology please
@@YoWassupFresh "here comes the airplane" *mom props 3 pieces of broccoli in my mouth*
…the question is how do mothers transport food products into the hard to reach stomachs of infant children. The answer, of course, is airplanes.
Note that while the C-17 was way above pax count it was still way below max cargo capacity.
If it was for cargo limits they could easily break the world record of 1088 passengers. They should set that on some college campus "we need 1500 volunteers that dont mind being part of a human pile for a few minutes"
@@maumor2 Safety. It's a thing.
@@ruotuz You've got me there....
Not if you're evacuating from a warzone. Safety technicalities go way after getting the shit out
@@theuselessteammate2097 I invite you to look at the 747 freighter crash in Afghanistan a few years ago that occurred due to payload shifting to the rear and get back to us. "But to an even greater degree than the sea, aviation is terribly unforgiving of any carelessness, incapacity or neglect." - Captain A. G. Lamplugh, British Aviation Insurance Group, London. 1930's
This video has made me cry more than I have in a long while. How sad
This is an incredible story:) Amazing job
Really puts my life into perspective and shows me I should be grateful every single day of my damn life. I’m taking everything for granted.
An underappreciated comment.
@@ScottRothsroth0616 No this is an underappreciated comment ! You are an awesome person. Thank you for being you.
@@Rawi888 I appreciate it; thank you, have a great day/night.
I feel this too. When I get stressed with my own life I always remind myself how other people would kill to have my life. And any genuine worries that I have, I take them day by day instead of worrying about the what ifs.
🟩Serch Aditya Rathore - He also makes informative content like Wendover
What a wild process. Crazy to think there were evacuees being bused basically right past my backyard and I didn't even know it.
I live a short drive from dulles airport crazy to think about...
Everyone : * talks about leaving afghanistan * Wendover : yeah but did you see the planes doe?
Great video very informative and well made
the sheer scale and expediency is awe inspiring. Logistics is what the US military really really knows truly well.
they left almost 100 billion worth of weaponry to incompetent people.. yeah logistics..
@@f.b.lagent1113 it's was handed down to Afghanistan Government and Military, it was their responsibility to keep and protect, they folded.
@@f.b.lagent1113 no they didnt
@@f.b.lagent1113 remember the first days of ISIS taking over IRAQI cities with Iraq army retreating leaving behind US equipment, well imagine that but in a national scale, Did everyone forget about Afghan Military Surrender and Cowardice.
@@buraddrama6899 they left bagram airport in the silently middle of the night, without informing their allies. Leaving the taliban to take one of two crucial airports, with supplies, planes, vehicles, weaponry and ammunition
Brilliantly composed- the details of all that never come through from news stories. I also appreciated the reminder that there are still pilots able to take off and land VFR if they need to and who understand their aircraft will still fly under those conditions. Not that I hope to ever be in such a plane, but nice to know pilots can still recognize when they must act.
It basically becomes an 'uncontrolled' airport and you follow uncontrolled airport procedures.
Never come through from news stories...where do you think the information from this comes from? This research cities a whole bunch of news stories.
It’s not about VFR/IFR. On a towered airdrome you still need clearance to land, doesn’t matter the flight rules. As an airline pilot myself, finding that I can’t establish communications with any controller, I would enter a hold, try calling anybody on frequency 121.5, evaluate amount of fuel and what is my alternate, consider weather it’s safe to land at this airport, and if the crew agrees that’s the right choice, follow the lost comm procedures, which most airports have. And if this one doesn’t, according to the ICAO lost comms procedure, as long as you are VMC you can land at the nearest suitable airdrome. Edit: for the people who don't know: VFR Visual Flight Rules IFR Instrument Flight Rules 121.5MHz Worldwide aeronautical emergency frequency Alternate, referring to alternate airport ICAO The UN branch for civil aviation VMC Visual Meteorological Conditions
@@gabrielcho999 I understand some of those words. You're an expert eh 👍
@@gabrielcho999 Wow very fascinating! Would be nice if Wendover makes a video about these procedures. It's so admirable that you pilots know so many procedures that you'd barely use but when it comes to the situation then it's most important.
This has to be my favorite channel!
Knoxville native here. Sgt. Knauss, one of the service members killed, was from Knoxville. Just yesterday, he was brought back home and had his memorial service. May his soul rest in peace🇺🇸
I was kinda bias about this whole situation. But this really helped. The whole entire logistic side is wild considering the amount of time that they were given. Didn't really know that the Taliban were already pushing inward and that their president left. Once he left it kinda just gave the green light for the Taliban to take over.
well if anything this whole shit was due to the president just giving up... and that the army is pretty much filled with "irregulars". at least the former vice prez have the half brain to continue the fight tho the chance of break out seems small...
Taliban controlled 50% of the country by December, and were active in 80% of it. the map most commonly used just shows areas they controlled from a provincial capital perspective from may to august.. the reality is they had most of the countryside in their control and Afghanistan is mostly a rural country with small towns and villages. so the larger cities really mean nothing in terms of actual "control"
yeah biden really fucked this up the logistics seen in the video would not have been nesscessary if bidens origianal plan and promises were furfilled. Biden said that the taliban would not take over at all but then overnight they pulled away the afghan gov's air support really the only edge the afghan army has over the taliban (and very effective just look at how isis turned out whenever they had extended gun fights). The afghan president literally was just like "to stop bloodshed all forces stand down" so the afghan military literally was commanded to do nothing at all. Before things got to this stage biden told the afghan president to underplay the situation what an actual snake.
When the Taliban reached Kabul, they contacted the United States military and asked who should police the capital. The United States replied and said they only wanted the airport. They gave control of Kabul to the Taliban unnecessarily and preemptively
@@pfrodigal it could be that militarily it was impossible to hold the city I assume that there were only a few thousand troops not even all combat ones nearby
United airlines must have sent a lot of planes because he mentioned them twice when naming the airlines that sent planes to Afghanistan.
Lol, thought I was going crazy for a sec. If anyone is looking for the time stamp, it’s @14:06
🏐SERCH ADITYA RATHORE-HE ALSO MAKES INFORMATIVE CONTENT LIKE WENDOVER
i don't know if fact that the video is delivered in such clinical and factual made the video feels more tragic or less tragic the situation itself is anything but tragic, I think you've captured it well
You are a fine man putting this all together
The nice thought for me is that there will definitely be a evacuee that may write a book about the whole evacuation experience. We will be able to see the conditions on the author’s perspective
A complex and sad logistic situation explained in a sensible way. This is one (if not) the best video I’ve seen so far. Compliments 🙂
This is a shocking, sad but extraordinary video, thank you for making it.
Such sad times, I have 2 friends who were brought to Ireland as kids and have lived a he'll as this went on, God bless those that helped save lives and bring families together again
This situation is one of the reasons why I went to university related to military / emergency logistics. Recently, there was a flood in my area, which killed a lot of people and animals, including the entire property of people invested in crops, because none of the services knew how to organize themselves.
What field did you study? Or rather what degree did you get? I live in a hurricane prone area and we face the same problems every year
@@TheSoldadoDan you can get a degree in emergency Management. It also helps alot if you're well practiced and trained in FEMA's ICS (Incident Management System). Alot of states, especially fire and hurricane prone ones have state Emergency Management agencies you can apply for. I work for California's and they like when staff have training/certificates
I'm so sorry that happened. Unfortunately these things are becoming more and more common. People with your education will be invaluable to the human race in the coming years.
Sam, this has got to be one of the most thorough piece of information that I have seen on your channel (and let me add, you have many great videos). Thank you for helping your viewers really ''see'' what was going on in the air and on the ground. Thank you!
I love your videos! They always cover such interesting, often plane related, topics! However I just wanted to be that guy for a second and point out that Istanbul isn’t in Crimea. 8:36
A tremendous video. Thank you
Considering how hectic the evacuation was, I had to double check this wasn't HAI
Man, I always praise Wendover to my friends, but sometimes its just on par with the best documentary channels out there. Omg is this good, there are no words. Thank you.
Yeah, this one is well done. I can give him a pass for. Speaking. Like. This.
16:17 the evacuees were moved to Fort Lee, VA, the military base. Fort Lee, NJ (shown in the map) is the name of a NYC suburb. Confusing, I know
Nah bro they landed on the GW
@@Incogn170 Lol
Wow, excellently done
My cousin's husband would have been one of the soldiers in the area where the suicide bomber had set off had his contract not ended recently. One of his best friends in the unit had been one of the 13 killed. Finding out about that made this whole thing feel so much more real and immediate than it had felt before.
This was 50 times more detailed and informative than either side of the US news coverage of the same events. Well done man, well done!
So much about this is just wow. I never knew so much of this info, and before now I had not happened just how large the evacuation was, as my main source for info on it was just cable news
This video is amazing :D
Politics aside, the logistics of the US Military are pretty impressive!
theres a reason its the best military in the world
@@jjsluckyday I'm pretty sure that national defense accounted for less than 20 percent in 2020
@@jjsluckyday en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Government_spending_in_the_United_States here's where I got my information so I'm not talking out my ass
The pacific and Atlantic oceans put us far away from the majority of the world. In order to overcome those great distances and still supply troops and support to this level you gotta have a really nice and very expensive global infrastructure. one that is too expensive to keep up. those oceans are also a part of why the us is so tough to invade.
I am waiting for logistics about evacuating South Vietnam back in 1975.
15:44 That's some incredible range for a 737-300 if we're to believe what it says on the screen
I had to double-check when I read that lol. The 737 XXXLLL varient.
Yeah, he made a slight mistake, it should have read 777-300ER.
Probably the best work of yours Sam. A tremendously sad ending for many....
this is incredible content
One of my college classmates, now spouse of someone serving at Ramstein AFB, helped with organizing that massive effort to get the refugees clothing, food, and other essentials. I appreciate that this video didn't dive into the politics except where necessary and just focused on the ordinary men and women trying to help as many people as possible in a terrible situation.
I wasn’t expecting ramstein to get much recognition for this effort. I’ve worked many days and hours in the camps here and a lot of us expected it to all be overlooked and forgotten once it was all over.
yup, I have my grievances against american practices but must admit that american forces managing the airport did a great job allowing themselves and other countries to evacuate their citizens.
Yeah terrible situation that the us created in the first place
I’ve been a huge fan of your videos since you started, and wasn’t expecting the amount of emotions I got out of this. Living it for those weeks everyday flying into Kabul made it seem like things were hopeless. Thanks for telling the story.
You guys are amazing.
Great effort
7:21 it's a good thing the C-17 has high mounted wings thus high mounted engines. That would not be a pretty sight if that were a passenger aircraft....
🚦Serch Aditya Rathore - He also makes informative content like Wendover
The more I delve into the happenings, the sadder it gets. My heart goes out to people who couldn't make it out. The feeling of helplessness is overwhelming.
Thank you Sam
Great video!!