Operation Allies Welcome (2021)

The resettlement of Afghans evacuated after the fall of Kabul.

The evacuation

When Kabul fell to the Taliban in August 2021, the United States and its allies flew tens of thousands of people out of Hamid Karzai International Airport in a matter of weeks.

Safe havens

Afghans brought to the United States were housed first at military bases, which served as temporary "safe havens," while they completed medical and security processing and were matched with resettlement agencies. Roughly 76,000 Afghans were brought to the United States in the operation.

Connected stories

Mustafa Popal, who fled Kabul with his family as a child, worked the 2021 evacuation from the same airport.