{"id":20902,"date":"2021-09-24T19:09:18","date_gmt":"2021-09-24T19:09:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/uncategorized\/2021\/09\/24\/the-air-force-evacuated-124000-people-from-afghanistan-but-its-work-still-isnt-done\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T20:36:59","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T20:36:59","slug":"the-air-force-evacuated-124000-people-from-afghanistan-but-its-work-still-isnt-done","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/your-air-force\/2021\/09\/24\/the-air-force-evacuated-124000-people-from-afghanistan-but-its-work-still-isnt-done\/","title":{"rendered":"The Air Force evacuated 124,000 people from Afghanistan, but its work still isn\u2019t done"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. \u2014 When the last American C-17 transport jet went wheels-up on the final departure out of Kabul\u2019s Hamid Karzai International Airport Aug. 30, America\u2019s longest war culminated with the largest humanitarian airlift evacuation of civilians ever led by the U.S. But the work is far from over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The U.S. Air Force is now pivoting from orchestrating the massive exodus of over 124,000 Afghans and Americans from a country once again under Taliban rule, to a quieter role helping even more people leave on commercial and privately organized flights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Airmen are also working through other next steps of a frantic aid effort: caring for themselves and their aircraft after a traumatic month, treating illness and delivering babies among the refugees, distributing aid for basic needs, and running multiple vaccination campaigns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt was a relief to see [landing] gear in the well on the last airplane,\u201d Air Mobility Command boss Gen. Jacqueline Van Ovost told reporters at the Air Force Association\u2019s annual Air, Space, Cyber conference here. \u201cBut it also had a moment of, \u2018OK, this was this event. There\u2019s more to do.\u2019 We have a lot of refugees in the pipeline. \u2026 We\u2019ve got to continue.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/newsletters\/daily-news-roundup\/2021\/09\/02\/it-looked-apocalyptic-airmen-describes-afghan-departure\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AfghanByeBye.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">\u2018It looked apocalyptic\u2019: Airmen describe Afghan departure<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Lined up on the runway at the Kabul airport Monday night were the five last C-17s to leave the country after a chaotic and deadly airlift evacuation that marked the end of America\u2019s involvement in the Afghanistan war.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Nearly 800 civilian and military aircraft from more than 30 nations carried travelers to safety between Aug. 14-30, according to AMC.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">More than 500 crews on over 250 Air Force mobility aircraft took part in the evacuation, including about 110 of the Air Force\u2019s enormous C-17s. As Operation Allies Refuge began Aug. 14, the number of C-17s at the Kabul airport rose nearly eight-fold, from six to 46 airframes, in just two days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On a typical day, the Air Force has nearly 70 C-17s dispatched around the globe. During the Kabul evacuation, the service sent 60 Globemasters into U.S. Central Command and U.S. European Command alone \u2014 and averaged 113 per day at the height of the operation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They ferried people from Afghanistan to Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait, and several other locations before arriving at Ramstein Air Base in Germany and then the United States. Refueling tanker; intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance; strike; and command and control aircraft assisted along the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAl Udeid, Ali Al Salem and Ramstein are three of the four busiest military airfields in CENTCOM and [U.S. European Command],\u201d AMC said. \u201cWhat we did was the equivalent of increasing passenger and aircraft flow at our nation\u2019s three busiest airports by 200-600 percent (think pre-COVID holiday travel levels) for three weeks.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"713\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/cute.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"U.S. Air Force Capt. Shelby Chapman, 86th Airlift Wing Public Affairs Mission Partner Support chief, comforts a child at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, Sept. 7, 2021. Chapman leads the community engagement team for Operation Allies Refuge. (Staff Sgt. Jourdan Barrons\/Air Force)\" class=\"wp-image-43078\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/cute.jpg.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/cute.jpg.jpg?resize=300,214 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/cute.jpg.jpg?resize=768,548 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">U.S. Air Force Capt. Shelby Chapman, 86th Airlift Wing Public Affairs Mission Partner Support chief, comforts a child at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, Sept. 7, 2021. Chapman leads the community engagement team for Operation Allies Refuge. (Staff Sgt. Jourdan Barrons\/Air Force)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Evacuation was a multistep process: Refugees would get off one plane in Qatar, for instance, before hopping onto another one to continue their journey to Germany and then to the U.S. \u2014 more than 8,000 miles in total.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Those distances meant longer-than-usual days on duty for airmen. Despite that, airmen sought permission to forgo rest and keep working, said Brig. Gen. Daniel DeVoe, who runs the Tanker Airlift Control Center at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Military aircraft took off from Kabul once every 34 minutes; maintainers at Al Udeid and Ali Al Salem serviced and repaired aircraft even as the summer heat spiked to about 115 degrees Fahrenheit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI expected more aircraft to break than did,\u201d DeVoe said. \u201cThat is a testament to those maintainers and the work that they could do to keep those aircraft flying.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Now the pace has slowed, allowing airmen to settle into more predictable routines helping the refugees temporarily housed at their bases. The Air Force is ramping up C-5 Galaxy operations and calling on more civilian and commercial flights so its C-17 Globemaster III crews and airframes can recharge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe want to make sure we tidy up the airplanes and get them the service that they need and get the crews the rest and recovery and, frankly, the additional training on other missions that they weren\u2019t focused on,\u201d Van Ovost said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Commercial U.S. aircraft had handled more than 420 flights during and after the formal airlift operation as of Sept. 13, two weeks after America\u2019s involvement there ended Aug. 30, the Air Force said. That included 200 flights headed to the United States, about 190 within the U.S. and around 30 to Ramstein.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/your-air-force\/2021\/08\/27\/tonight-well-be-maxed-out-inside-ramstein-air-bases-push-to-host-thousands-of-evacuees-from-afghanistan\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"157\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/medical-screening_web.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">\u2018Tonight, we\u2019ll be maxed out.\u2019 Inside Ramstein Air Base\u2019s push to host thousands of evacuees from Afghanistan<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">U.S. Air Force airmen taking part in Operation Allies Refuge at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, have worked around the clock to ensure evacuees have medical service, food, water and shelter before they depart for the United States.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Airlines either volunteered for those missions or participated under the Civil Reserve Air Fleet program, which let the Pentagon call on 18 planes from six airlines \u2014 American Airlines, Atlas Air, Delta Airlines, Omni Air, Hawaiian Airlines and United Airlines \u2014 to ferry evacuees between and within countries en route to their final destinations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Other airlines have joined in, such as Afghanistan\u2019s Kam Air, which flew a group of about 400 refugees, including 114 American citizens, legal permanent residents and Afghan citizens from Mazar-i-Sharif in Northern Afghanistan to Doha, Qatar, Sept. 17.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Airmen at Ramstein converted one of their hangars, AMC\u2019s largest outside of the continental U.S., into a makeshift international terminal with nine gates for remaining Americans, permanent U.S. residents, Special Immigrant Visa applicants and holders, and their families.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Troops have become airport staffers, checking that passengers and luggage are safe, caring for and feeding more than 25,000 passengers, and working with onsite staffers from the Departments of State and Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection, Transportation Security Administration and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It\u2019s unclear how much longer that effort will continue or how many people are still trying to leave the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cOur lily pads are still engaged right now,\u201d Van Ovost said. \u201cThere will be some sort of drawdown, but there will be an ability, working with [the] Department of State, to process additional personnel, just like we would with any other nation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"727\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ramsteinevac.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"A U.S. Air Force airman assigned to the 726th Air Mobility Squadron performs security checks on luggage during the outbound passenger processing at Hangar 5 at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, Sept. 5, 2021. The 521st Air Mobility Operations Wing shifted 78 airmen from various AMOW locations to support evacuation operations. (Tech. Sgt. Aaron Luetzen\/Air Force)\" class=\"wp-image-43082\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ramsteinevac.jpg.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ramsteinevac.jpg.jpg?resize=300,218 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ramsteinevac.jpg.jpg?resize=768,558 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A U.S. Air Force airman assigned to the 726th Air Mobility Squadron performs security checks on luggage during the outbound passenger processing at Hangar 5 at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, Sept. 5, 2021. The 521st Air Mobility Operations Wing shifted 78 airmen from various AMOW locations to support evacuation operations. (Tech. Sgt. Aaron Luetzen\/Air Force)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Meanwhile, airmen have returned home from the trauma of watching tens of thousands of people scramble for their lives amid Taliban obstruction and Islamic State suicide bombers who attacked the airport. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.airforcetimes.com\/news\/your-air-force\/2021\/08\/17\/air-force-launches-investigation-after-human-remains-found-in-c-17-flying-out-of-kabul\/\" target=\"_blank\">A federal investigation into human remains<\/a> that were discovered in the wheel well of a C-17 mobbed by desperate Afghans is still underway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe most important thing for us was to take care of the crew and ensure that they had the support services necessary at Al Udeid to be able to process what happened, get interviewed, and the most important thing for them was to get back into the fight,\u201d Van Ovost said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Commanders have offered programs to help returning airmen decompress and encouraged them to take advantage of initiatives like True North, which embeds mental health professionals and religious support teams into units.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Col. Adrienne Williams, commander of the 521st Air Mobility Operations Wing at Germany\u2019s Ramstein Air Base, said the wing\u2019s welfare director went to Al Udeid to personally check in on airmen on the flightline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAt the height, we had 46 C-17s on the ramp, and [maintainers] were out there turning the jets to make sure that they could get into [Hamid Karzai International Airport],\u201d Williams said. \u201cShe was on the line with them and basically looking in their eyes, making sure that they were OK. It was amazing that they were, and that they knew what impact they were making for saving all these lives.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The U.S. Air Force is pivoting from orchestrating the massive exodus of over 124,000 Afghans and Americans from a country once again under Taliban rule, to a quieter role helping even more people leave on commercial and privately organized flights.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":43076,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":67,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":{"2":{"categories":["your-military","news","left-column","home"],"primary_category":"your-military"}}},"categories":[101,24,88,16,26,67],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3392],"class_list":["post-20902","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-home","category-left-column","category-news","category-newsletters","category-your-air-force"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"7MMAJV3RHZC2DAQWAXF3V2NTOI","arc_canonical_url":"\/news\/your-air-force\/2021\/09\/24\/the-air-force-evacuated-124000-people-from-afghanistan-but-its-work-still-isnt-done\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>The Air Force evacuated 124,000 people from Afghanistan, but its work still isn\u2019t done - Air Force TImes<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The U.S. Air Force is pivoting from orchestrating the massive exodus of over 124,000 Afghans and Americans from a country once again under Taliban rule, to a quieter role helping even more people leave on commercial and privately organized flights.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Air Force evacuated 124,000 people from Afghanistan, but its work still isn\u2019t done\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The U.S. Air Force is pivoting from orchestrating the massive exodus of over 124,000 Afghans and Americans from a country once again under Taliban rule, to a quieter role helping even more people leave on commercial and privately organized flights.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/your-air-force\/2021\/09\/24\/the-air-force-evacuated-124000-people-from-afghanistan-but-its-work-still-isnt-done\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Air Force TImes\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-09-24T19:09:18+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-07T20:36:59+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Rachel S. Cohen\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Rachel S. Cohen\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\n\t    \"@context\": \"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\n\t    \"@graph\": [\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Article\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/news\\\/your-air-force\\\/2021\\\/09\\\/24\\\/the-air-force-evacuated-124000-people-from-afghanistan-but-its-work-still-isnt-done\\\/#article\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/news\\\/your-air-force\\\/2021\\\/09\\\/24\\\/the-air-force-evacuated-124000-people-from-afghanistan-but-its-work-still-isnt-done\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"author\": {\n\t                \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"headline\": \"The Air Force evacuated 124,000 people from Afghanistan, but its work still isn\u2019t done\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2021-09-24T19:09:18+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-07T20:36:59+00:00\",\n\t            \"mainEntityOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/news\\\/your-air-force\\\/2021\\\/09\\\/24\\\/the-air-force-evacuated-124000-people-from-afghanistan-but-its-work-still-isnt-done\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"wordCount\": 1282,\n\t            \"commentCount\": 0,\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/news\\\/your-air-force\\\/2021\\\/09\\\/24\\\/the-air-force-evacuated-124000-people-from-afghanistan-but-its-work-still-isnt-done\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/1000w_q75-1.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"articleSection\": [\n\t                \"Daily News Roundup\",\n\t                \"Home\",\n\t                \"Left Column\",\n\t                \"News\",\n\t                \"Newsletters\",\n\t                \"Your Air Force\"\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"CommentAction\",\n\t                    \"name\": \"Comment\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/news\\\/your-air-force\\\/2021\\\/09\\\/24\\\/the-air-force-evacuated-124000-people-from-afghanistan-but-its-work-still-isnt-done\\\/#respond\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebPage\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/news\\\/your-air-force\\\/2021\\\/09\\\/24\\\/the-air-force-evacuated-124000-people-from-afghanistan-but-its-work-still-isnt-done\\\/\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/news\\\/your-air-force\\\/2021\\\/09\\\/24\\\/the-air-force-evacuated-124000-people-from-afghanistan-but-its-work-still-isnt-done\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"The Air Force evacuated 124,000 people from Afghanistan, but its work still isn\u2019t done - Air Force TImes\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/#website\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"primaryImageOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/news\\\/your-air-force\\\/2021\\\/09\\\/24\\\/the-air-force-evacuated-124000-people-from-afghanistan-but-its-work-still-isnt-done\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/news\\\/your-air-force\\\/2021\\\/09\\\/24\\\/the-air-force-evacuated-124000-people-from-afghanistan-but-its-work-still-isnt-done\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/1000w_q75-1.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2021-09-24T19:09:18+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-07T20:36:59+00:00\",\n\t            \"description\": \"The U.S. Air Force is pivoting from orchestrating the massive exodus of over 124,000 Afghans and Americans from a country once again under Taliban rule, to a quieter role helping even more people leave on commercial and privately organized flights.\",\n\t            \"breadcrumb\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/news\\\/your-air-force\\\/2021\\\/09\\\/24\\\/the-air-force-evacuated-124000-people-from-afghanistan-but-its-work-still-isnt-done\\\/#breadcrumb\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ReadAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/news\\\/your-air-force\\\/2021\\\/09\\\/24\\\/the-air-force-evacuated-124000-people-from-afghanistan-but-its-work-still-isnt-done\\\/\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/news\\\/your-air-force\\\/2021\\\/09\\\/24\\\/the-air-force-evacuated-124000-people-from-afghanistan-but-its-work-still-isnt-done\\\/#primaryimage\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/1000w_q75-1.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/1000w_q75-1.jpg.jpg\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"BreadcrumbList\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/news\\\/your-air-force\\\/2021\\\/09\\\/24\\\/the-air-force-evacuated-124000-people-from-afghanistan-but-its-work-still-isnt-done\\\/#breadcrumb\",\n\t            \"itemListElement\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 1,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Home\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"home\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 2,\n\t                    \"name\": \"News\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/news\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"news\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 3,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Your Air Force\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/news\\\/your-air-force\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"your-air-force\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 4,\n\t                    \"name\": \"The Air Force evacuated 124,000 people from Afghanistan, but its work still isn\u2019t done\"\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebSite\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/#website\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Air Force TImes\",\n\t            \"description\": \"Independent News For Airmen | Air Force Times\",\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"SearchAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"EntryPoint\",\n\t                        \"urlTemplate\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"\n\t                    },\n\t                    \"query-input\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"PropertyValueSpecification\",\n\t                        \"valueRequired\": true,\n\t                        \"valueName\": \"search_term_string\"\n\t                    }\n\t                }\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/#organization\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Air Force TImes\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/\",\n\t            \"logo\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/air-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/air-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"Air Force TImes\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"\n\t            }\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Person\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\",\n\t            \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"migration\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/author\\\/migration\\\/\"\n\t        }\n\t    ]\n\t}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The Air Force evacuated 124,000 people from Afghanistan, but its work still isn\u2019t done - Air Force TImes","description":"The U.S. Air Force is pivoting from orchestrating the massive exodus of over 124,000 Afghans and Americans from a country once again under Taliban rule, to a quieter role helping even more people leave on commercial and privately organized flights.","robots":{"index":"noindex","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The Air Force evacuated 124,000 people from Afghanistan, but its work still isn\u2019t done","og_description":"The U.S. Air Force is pivoting from orchestrating the massive exodus of over 124,000 Afghans and Americans from a country once again under Taliban rule, to a quieter role helping even more people leave on commercial and privately organized flights.","og_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/your-air-force\/2021\/09\/24\/the-air-force-evacuated-124000-people-from-afghanistan-but-its-work-still-isnt-done\/","og_site_name":"Air Force TImes","article_published_time":"2021-09-24T19:09:18+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-08-07T20:36:59+00:00","author":"Rachel S. Cohen","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Rachel S. Cohen","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/your-air-force\/2021\/09\/24\/the-air-force-evacuated-124000-people-from-afghanistan-but-its-work-still-isnt-done\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/your-air-force\/2021\/09\/24\/the-air-force-evacuated-124000-people-from-afghanistan-but-its-work-still-isnt-done\/"},"author":{"name":"migration","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1"},"headline":"The Air Force evacuated 124,000 people from Afghanistan, but its work still isn\u2019t done","datePublished":"2021-09-24T19:09:18+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-07T20:36:59+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/your-air-force\/2021\/09\/24\/the-air-force-evacuated-124000-people-from-afghanistan-but-its-work-still-isnt-done\/"},"wordCount":1282,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/your-air-force\/2021\/09\/24\/the-air-force-evacuated-124000-people-from-afghanistan-but-its-work-still-isnt-done\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1000w_q75-1.jpg.jpg","articleSection":["Daily News Roundup","Home","Left Column","News","Newsletters","Your Air Force"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/your-air-force\/2021\/09\/24\/the-air-force-evacuated-124000-people-from-afghanistan-but-its-work-still-isnt-done\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/your-air-force\/2021\/09\/24\/the-air-force-evacuated-124000-people-from-afghanistan-but-its-work-still-isnt-done\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/your-air-force\/2021\/09\/24\/the-air-force-evacuated-124000-people-from-afghanistan-but-its-work-still-isnt-done\/","name":"The Air Force evacuated 124,000 people from Afghanistan, but its work still isn\u2019t done - Air Force TImes","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/your-air-force\/2021\/09\/24\/the-air-force-evacuated-124000-people-from-afghanistan-but-its-work-still-isnt-done\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/your-air-force\/2021\/09\/24\/the-air-force-evacuated-124000-people-from-afghanistan-but-its-work-still-isnt-done\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1000w_q75-1.jpg.jpg","datePublished":"2021-09-24T19:09:18+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-07T20:36:59+00:00","description":"The U.S. Air Force is pivoting from orchestrating the massive exodus of over 124,000 Afghans and Americans from a country once again under Taliban rule, to a quieter role helping even more people leave on commercial and privately organized flights.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/your-air-force\/2021\/09\/24\/the-air-force-evacuated-124000-people-from-afghanistan-but-its-work-still-isnt-done\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/your-air-force\/2021\/09\/24\/the-air-force-evacuated-124000-people-from-afghanistan-but-its-work-still-isnt-done\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/your-air-force\/2021\/09\/24\/the-air-force-evacuated-124000-people-from-afghanistan-but-its-work-still-isnt-done\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1000w_q75-1.jpg.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1000w_q75-1.jpg.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/your-air-force\/2021\/09\/24\/the-air-force-evacuated-124000-people-from-afghanistan-but-its-work-still-isnt-done\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/","ad_zone":"home"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"News","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/","ad_zone":"news"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Your Air Force","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/your-air-force\/","ad_zone":"your-air-force"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"The Air Force evacuated 124,000 people from Afghanistan, but its work still isn\u2019t done"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/#website","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/","name":"Air Force TImes","description":"Independent News For Airmen | Air Force Times","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/#organization","name":"Air Force TImes","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/air-logo-white.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/air-logo-white.png","caption":"Air Force TImes"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1","name":"migration","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"migration"},"url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/author\/migration\/"}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Air Force TImes","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes","push-errors":false,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1000w_q75-1.jpg.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20902","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20902"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20902\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":86201,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20902\/revisions\/86201"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20902"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20902"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20902"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=20902"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}