Evacuation

Available for over a year

In August 2021, as the last Western forces withdrew from Afghanistan, the Taliban swept into Kabul. Thousands of Afghans raced to the airport in a desperate bid to escape. Some had embraced the opportunities that emerged during two decades of Western intervention. Others had lived through war and displacement during the first era of Taliban rule. Five years on, Afghan-born British journalist, Nelufar Hedayat, revisits the chaotic days of the evacuation through archive and the personal testimonies of five Afghans who tried to get out. Nelufar asks what happened to the hopes and dreams of a generation who had believed their country was changing – and what the withdrawal meant for those who were left behind. Presenter: Nelufar Hedayat Producer: Conor Garrett Exec Producer: Sarah Shebbeare Commissioning Editor: Hugh Levinson Production Coordinator: Juliette Harvey *Additional archive reproduced with the kind permission of Doha Debates A BBC Studios production for Radio 4