OPERATION PITTING
The effort to evacuate British nationals and eligible Afghans from Kabul put Afghanistan to the fore once again. Former paratrooper Craig Allen describes what 2 PAR A faced as the capital fell
It should have marked the end of 20 years of military commitment to Afghanistan, and a transition to other forms of support enhancing a fledging government and country as it developed and adapted to a challenging, but promising, future amid a negotiated peace However, for myriad reasons, the withdrawal of US-led troops from Afghanistan instead led to the rapid crumbling of Afghan government forces. The collapse gave rise to an unprecedented humanitarian crisis centred on the Hamid Karzai International Airport in the country's capital, Kabul.
Thousands of Western nationals, their dependents, and desperate Afghans crowded airport gates in chaotic scenes. Among those trying to escape were British nationals as well as interpreters and other Afghans who had supported British efforts in Afghanistan for the better part of two decades. In this febrile atmosphere, the government turned to 16 Air Assault Brigade – the British Army's key rapid deployment unit.
Central to the mission would be the soldiers o…
