Escape from Kabul: The Inside Story

by Levison Wood, Geraint Jones

'An important account of one of the defining moments of the modern world' PETER FRANKOPAN

Readers' praise for Escape from Kabul:
'It's rare for a book to be so well written that you feel you are there yourself. I felt like I was holding my breath reading it. Truly eye opening and shocking' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'Must read for military historians. Brilliantly written by those who understand modern warfare and politics. Highly recommended.' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'A compelling page-turner' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The evacuation of Kabul in August 2021 will go down in military history as one of the most unexpected events in modern times. In an eerie replay of the disastrous British retreat from Kabul in 1842, coalition troops withdrew from Afghanistan after twenty years of military campaigning. The subsequent collapse of the Afghan government and its army shocked the world, as a resurgent Taliban gathered its forces and swept across the country. Thousands of Afghans who had worked with the allies were left to the meagre mercy of the Taliban.

As the Taliban went door to door to execute 'collaborators', a small international task force set out on a daring mission to evacuate as many Afghans and their families as possible.

Drawing on a wide range of first-hand accounts - the politicians and officers who planned the trans-continental rescue, the young soldiers who were faced with the unenviable task of keeping a crowd of thousands of desperate people at bay, former interpreters and soldiers of the Afghan Special Forces who made it out - Escape from Kabul is the harrowing true story of Operation Pitting and the Kabul airlift.

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'An essential contribution to the historical record, told with lucid flair' - Sophy Roberts

'A compelling account of one of the most seismic events in recent years. . . Vividly told, Escape from Kabul captures the human cost of America's deal with the Taliban' - Larisa Brown

'Escape from Kabul is savage, adrenalin-fuelled, brutally honest, compelling, and essential reading. Wood and Jones are a dream team writing about a nightmare. . . These are the stories that soldiers tell each other when the press and politicians have packed up and moved on. These are the real stories of the men and women who snatched honour from the jaws of humiliating betrayal and defeat' - Ben Timberlake

'Escape From Kabul explains through personal knowledge and eye-witness testimony the bravery, endurance and professionalism of men and women tasked with achieving the near-impossible'- Stuart Ramsay, Chief Correspondent, Sky News

'Wood and Jones have done an excellent job of translating that chaos into a powerful narrative, replete with human drama and - to some extent - horror. It is certainly compelling and disturbing reading' - Mail on Sunday

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Audiobook, War

347 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 16, 2023

Reviews

[Yasmine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting opinions and insights, badly written

[Brandon Clark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bit boring at times but A ok

[pierre bovington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very compelling. First-person, " on the ground " stuff can sometimes be a struggle to read. However, Wood and Jones managed well. The aftermath chapter is excellent, real questions are raised about the participants, including the rescuers.
Highly recommended read.

[Izak Miklavčič · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book with many sad stories of Afghan refugees longing for a better future. The authors write a lot about the layout of the evacuation plans and procedures at Kabul airport and the Baron Hotel, but overall it is very difficult to imagine how it all looked as there are no maps (apart from one artist's sketch) of the area in the book. Perhaps it would be useful to include a layout of what all the checkpoints looked like to help the reader understand what was going on. It is also difficult to understand all the military jargon the authors throw around. All in all, a good book with a critical perspective on both the evacuation as well as the 20-year period since the US invasion of Afghanistan. My final criticism is that the background to the invasion is very bland and misses some key aspects (such as US support for the mujahideen and the role of the Shah and Daoud).

[Gavin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice no nonsense writing style. Very British military in style. A good account of a very specific event which really caught my attention at the time with the news footage of people failing from the landing gear of C17’s. Sensible political views, points out the glaring inconsistencies in how Western countries treat the global south.

[Pragnya Rangi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a stark reminder that we ‘moved on’ from Afghanistan..goes on to highlight our docile nature.
It is always those at the bottom who face the consequences of poorly executed bureaucratic decisions.

[Jerry Qiu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well-researched book with many first-hand accounts, but ideas were sometimes hard to follow, as there lacked sufficient context and analysis, hampering flow. Overall enjoyable, and does well to provide a balanced and objective account of the withdrawal from Afghanistan.

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid look at the absolute shitshow that was the badly mismanaged withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan after a 20-year war that should never have been started in the first place.

[Owen Tsang · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sobering account of the human costs often overlooked during GWOT.