Fall of Kabul (2021)

In August 2021, something big happened in Kabul, the capital city of Afghanistan. A group called the Taliban took control of the city. This was a really fast change, like a game of tag where one team suddenly wins everything! It meant that the leaders who were in charge before were no longer in charge. This event was the very end of a long war in Afghanistan.

Before this happened, many people thought it would take much longer for the Taliban to take over. But they were very fast! They started taking over many parts of the country even while other countries were getting their soldiers ready to leave. It was like a surprise race where the runners sped up way more than anyone expected. The leaders in charge couldn't stop it from happening so fast.

After Kabul changed hands, many people needed to leave the country very quickly. The United States and its friends organized a huge airplane rescue! They flew planes in and out of Kabul's airport to take over 123,000 people to safety. This was the biggest rescue of people who weren't soldiers that the US military had ever done. It was a race against time to help everyone get out.

The big airplane rescue helped lots of different people. It helped people who worked for other countries, like diplomats and soldiers. It also helped Afghan people who had helped those countries, and people who were in danger, like reporters and people who worked to make things fair. Even after the main rescue, some people were still waiting to leave, showing how complicated it all was.