US special operations vets carry out daring mission to save Afghan allies

[babylonsister]

US special operations vets carry out daring mission to save Afghan allies

At least 13 service members were killed in an attack in Kabul Thursday.
ByJames Gordon Meek
August 27, 2021, 5:00 AM


With the Taliban growing more violent and adding checkpoints near Kabul's airport, an all-volunteer group of American veterans of the Afghan war launched a final daring mission on Wednesday night dubbed the "Pineapple Express" to shepherd hundreds of at-risk Afghan elite forces and their families to safety, members of the group told ABC News.

Moving after nightfall in near-pitch black darkness and extremely dangerous conditions, the group said it worked unofficially in tandem with the United States military and U.S. embassy to move people, sometimes one person at a time, or in pairs, but rarely more than a small bunch, inside the wire of the U.S. military-controlled side of Hamid Karzai International Airport.

The Pineapple Express' mission was underway Thursday when the attack occurred in Kabul. Two suicide bombers believed to have been ISIS fighters killed at least 13 U.S. service members -- 10 U.S. Marines, a Navy corpsman, an Army soldier and another service member -- and wounded 15 other service members, according to U.S. officials.

There were wounded among the Pineapple Express travelers from the blast, and members of the group said they were assessing whether unaccounted-for Afghans they were helping had been killed.

more...

https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/us-special-operations-vets-carry-daring-mission-save/story?id=79670236

[blm]

1. This story kinda reeks of Blackwater PR.

I wouldn’t just accept it as gospel truth.

[rwheeler31]

2. You are right, the way it is written, makes it look like a few guys looking for glory.

[babylonsister]

3. There's no $ involved afaik, so that doesn't sound like Blackwater...

https://abcnews.go.com/International/us-special-operations-forces-race-save-afghan-comrades/story?id=79583150

US special operations forces race to save former Afghan comrades in jeopardy
The current and former military members are getting people out "one at a time."

snip//

The mission statement is simple: "To just get one more Afghan out. And after we get him or her out, we want to get just one more. That's the best that we can do right now, and we don't want to get at cross purposes with any broader effort," Parker said.

After Task Force Pineapple's initial success bringing the Afghan commando and then his family into the safety of the U.S. military's security bubble, the group's aspirations grew to getting dozens more out of harm's way -- especially those who fought against the Taliban in elite Afghan units alongside U.S. special operators, as well as women and children. It is now teaming up with Task Force Dunkirk in the effort.

"This is an informal, organic and eclectic group that spans the public and private sector with one goal: to get Afghans at risk to safety," Scott Mann, a former Green Beret and leader of the nonprofit Heroes Journey, told ABC News.

[blm]

4. We'll see what happens, I suppose.

[babylonsister]

5. I Taught English to Afghan Soldiers. Now I'm Part of the "Digital Dunkirk" Trying to Get Them Out.

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2021/08/afghanistan-digital-dunkirk-defense-contractors-combat-vets-whatsapp/
I Taught English to Afghan Soldiers. Now I’m Part of the “Digital Dunkirk” Trying to Get Them Out.

Does sound legit.

[dalton99a]

6. Trump had four years to get them out and didn't lift a finger.