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Escape from Kabul
- The Inside Story
- Narrated by: Ash Bhardwaj
- Length: 9 hrs and 16 mins
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Escape from Kabul
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Summary
Afghanistan, August 2021. As the clock ticks down to a total Allied withdrawal and the Taliban go door to door to execute 'collaborators', a small, semi-official force of allied Paratroopers and Marines set about evacuating as many Afghans and their families as possible.
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 20 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.
Critic reviews
"An important account of one of the defining moments of the modern world." (Peter Frankopan)
"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. Through an accumulation of eye witness reports, Levison Wood reveals the true horror and scale of the Afghan suffering and the heroic efforts of the British and American troops and veterans during the August 2021 evacuation from Kabul. Vividly told, Escape from Kabul captures the human cost of America's deal with the Taliban." (Larisa Brown)
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Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- GREGORY PRATT
- 10-06-23
Exceptional analysis of the last phase of the Afghan war
Really well told from the perspective of the people that were there. In-depth assessment of those that experienced the Afghan war. How and why it all fell apart and the controversial withdrawal that was such a mess to many but also an extraordinary success to many others. Love it! Fantastic journalism!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Anonymous User
- 16-04-23
Absolutely brilliant and enlightening
The book is a well researched and insightful look at this key historical event. It is wonderfully narrated and we’ll worth your time.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Pierre Bovington
- 18-06-23
Well told.
This account gathered pace and navigated a track through a difficult period.
I enjoyed, if that can be used, reading about the aftermath as much as the events.
Nice job guys.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Elodie Burton
- 21-04-23
Impeccably researched
Great insight from a wide range of individuals. I know the audio is by one of the author’s friends and I feel bad saying this but it was not well read. It was reminiscent of an action film trailer voiceover and got quite annoying. A shame as the book itself is faultless!
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Dan Slee
- 12-12-23
A balanced story of honourable defeat snatched from the jaws of a rout
Famously, in 1842, a British column of 16,000 left Kabul retreating to British India. Just one British soldier made it out. It is a story that cast a shadow when an America-led coalition went into Afghanistan and it's a story that still cast a shadow when they too retreated. The book is based on contemporary interviews of those involved with the evacuation. The accounts of the servicemen rising to an almost impossible challenge were striking. Good training and leadership made the best of an awful predicament. Yet the balance comes from examining the light and dark. A failure of political leadership led to the situation. Exactly who was to blame felt as though it was skated over. But the book does write well of the small triumphs of finding and removing named Afghans whose lives are at risk. What was surprising was the role some decent civil servants and ex-squadies played armed only with a smartphone. This is where the book excels. What is also sobering is that those Afghan translaters and their families who saved British lives in the field and tried and failed to board a flight are exactly those people UK Government wants to stop entering into the country.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- jason mccullough
- 20-05-23
Captivating
I really enjoyed this book. Well written and narrated piece of modern history. I suspect this account won’t be the story of an end of an era but the beginning of a new one.
A must do listen.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Robin Marriott
- 07-06-23
Excellent work
A fascinating collection of accounts bringing to light the appalling failings of government and policy. Also the incredible story of bravery and acts of real humanity in these heartbreaking circumstances that were never done justice by the world's press at the time.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Will
- 08-05-23
Excellent read
A harrowing description of the last days of a democratic Afghanistan from the perspectives of all including the Taliban.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Chris C
- 24-04-23
Not the end
A raw and at times harrowing account of the final days of the mission in Afghanistan. Drawn from a wide array of people this book illustrates how once again its the people at the lower tiers that get things done, some never to live to tell the tale. It could have been a catastrophe but for luck and on the spot decisions, experience which no doubt was used to good effect in the last few days in Sudan. This won’t be the first book about the withdrawal but it’ll probably be the most accurate from those recounting their memories, still fresh in the mind.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Kuma
- 31-03-23
insightful, well paced and full of rich detail
Well read and a great listen. Amazingly captures the human and technical aspect to such a chaotic event.
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