Evacuation on ABC – In 2021, the world watched as the British armed forces undertook the largest air evacuation since World War II.
Amidst the chaos, confusion and constant threat from Taliban forces in the urgent last days of the war in Afghanistan, over 1,000 UK military personnel were sent to evacuate over 5,000 British nationals and 8,000 Afghans – including thousands of children, with the youngest just one day old.
This three-part documentary series weaves visceral, intimate, raw story-telling with unseen Ministry of Defence archive footage, using unprecedented personal testimony from UK soldiers, as well as Afghans, on the ground in the frenzied evacuation of Kabul.
In tonight’s episode:
Soldiers are forced to put old hostilities to one side as they work with the Taliban to control the crowds. More troops arrive just in time to start processing civilians who have gathered at the gate.
As a result of limited direction, young privates are forced to make life-and-death decisions on eligibility, as they struggle to control the surging crowds. And in the air, one pilot narrowly avoids a catastrophic collision – while the RAF looks at overloading aircraft to take more evacuees.
But with the imminent withdrawal deadline and the new threat of a bomb, will they get everyone out in time?
Production credit: A Wonderhood Ltd production for Channel 4 Television. Distributed by Fremantle.
Evacuation on ABC and ABC iview – Monday 20 November, 2023 at 8.30pm
TV Central ABC content HERE
