3: The Fall

3 The Fall

3 years ago today (August 15, 2021) the Fall of Kabul occurred in Afghanistan when the Taliban took over the whole country.

(A member of the CIA helps evacuees up a ladder onto an Air America helicopter on the roof of 22 Gia Long Street April 29, 1975, shortly before Saigon fell to advancing North Vietnamese troops.)

(A C-17 evacuating 823 Passengers out of Kabul on August 15, 2021.)

There were, and still are, many people who compare the US Withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021 with the US Withdrawal from South Vietnam in 1973 or the Fall of Saigon in 1975 with the Fall of Kabul of 2021.

The Last US Combat Solider left South Vietnam on March 29, 1973 and yet South Vietnam continued to fight and exist against the North Vietnamese Communists until the Fall of Saigon on April 30, 1975 – so nearly 2 years later.

During the Fall of Saigon in 1975 the US evacuated 7,000 Men, Women and Children (1,373 Americans and 5,595 Vietnamese and Third-Country Nationals.) A total of 138,869 fled the Communists in April 1975 through non-official means.

800,000 Vietnamese successfully fled the Communists as Boat People from 1975-1995 (with more than 400,000 dying at sea.)

The Last US Combat Soldier left Afghanistan on August 30, 2021, but the Taliban had already taken over all of Afghanistan including the Capital of Kabul (with the Fall of Kabul) since August 15, 2021.

During the Fall of Kabul the US evacuated 123,000 Men, Women and Children.

It is unknown how many Afghans have fled the Taliban through unofficial means since the 2021 Takeover, but it is estimated at 8.2 Million People (this doesn’t include those that fled between 1979-August 2021.)

It is unknown how many Afghans have died trying to flee since the 2021 Takeover.

3 years since the Fall of Kabul and the US and most other Countries have all but forgotten the Afghans who were able to escape Afghanistan (there are still thousands of Afghans on Military Bases across the World waiting for help) and the Afghans who were not able to escape Afghanistan (there are thousands of Afghans who worked and helped the Americans and other Westerners who are now being tortured, killed or hunted down by the Taliban despite our promise to help them.)