The images marked the whole world last summer. Afghans taking all the risks to flee their country, planes unable to take off, Kabul airport crowded with civilians and overwhelmed American soldiers. On August 15, 2021, fundamentalists seize all places of power. The Afghan flag disappears.
A lightning offensive
The government, supported for 20 years by the Americans, collapsed in a few hours. No resistance in Kabul or soldiers on the streets to fight the Taliban. The Taliban’s lightning offensive took Washington by surprise. 124,000 Westerners and Afghans are exfiltrated by airlift. Six days after the Taliban took power, 18,000 people are still at the airport trying to flee. Seven people died in a stampede. The summer is appalling, with inhuman heat.