When the Taliban swept into
Kabul on Aug. 15, a U.S.-directed
evacuation intended to prioritize
Americans and vulnerable
Afghan allies morphed into
bedlam. The crush of hopefuls
outside the airport, shown on
Aug. 23, became so overpowering
that most of the 124,000 people
plucked from the Taliban’s grasp
weren’t vetted before takeoff,
the U.S. admitted in September.
Those checks occurred upon
landing in transit nations. By
month’s end—in the wake of an
Aug. 26 suicide bombing that
killed more than 170 Afghans
and 13 U.S. military personnel—
America concluded its so-called
“Forever War” much the way it
began: with the Taliban in power.
PHOTOGRAPH BY MARCUS
YAM—LOS ANGELES TIMES/
GETTY IMAGES