Operation Allies Refuge

Operation Allies Refuge
Operation Allies Refuge
Part of the American military withdrawal from Afghanistan
	Evacuees at Hamid Karzai International Airport are escorted by a U.S. Marine from the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, 18 August 2021
Type	Non-combatant evacuation operation (NEO)
Location	Afghanistan
Commanded by	RAdm. Peter Vasely
Objective	Evacuation of American citizens, embassy staff, and allied Afghan nationals
Date	First phase: 14 July 2021 – 15 August 2021; Second phase: 15 August 2021 – 30 August 2021
Executed by	United States
Outcome	123,000 people evacuated
Casualties	195+ killed 175+ Afghan civilians, 13 American service members, and 3 British nationals killed in a suicide bombing at the airport; 11 Afghan civilians killed during stampedes at the airport; 6 Afghan civilian stowaways killed (one outside of Afghanistan); 2 unknown gunmen killed by American troops; 1 Afghan guard killed during a gunfight;

Operation Allies Refuge was an evacuation effort carried out by the United States during the 2021 Taliban offensive. It took place in the final weeks of the War in Afghanistan and saw the airlifting of certain at-risk Afghan civilians (particularly coalition-allied interpreters), employees of the American embassy in Kabul, and other prospective applicants for the U.S. Special Immigrant Visa (SIV).^[10]^[11] American personnel also helped NATO and other regional allies in their respective evacuation efforts from Hamid Karzai International Airport in the capital city of Kabul. The operation was concurrent with the broader American military withdrawal from Afghanistan and the multinational evacuation of eligible foreigners and vulnerable Afghans.

SIV applicants were airlifted to the U.S., where they were temporarily housed by the American military while they completed their SIV requirements.