The fall of Kabul (1)

The Fall of Kabul part 1

This August marks five years since the Afghan capital of Kabul fell. In a minute-by-minute account this article  reconstructs how the Dutch withdrawal from Afghanistan descended into administrative and military chaos. It was not an inevitable disaster, but a chain of misjudgements, sluggish decision-making and missed opportunities. At Kabul airport, Dutch-Afghan citizens and local staff fought for their lives, while most politicians in The Hague remained steps behind the facts. This is a story publsihed in Dutch magazine Haagse Post. I translated it so people in my international network can read it and more Afghan sources to whom I am grateful, as well.