State of Mankind

EXCLUSIVE: Former US Marine Captain Evacuating as Many as Possible as Aug. 31 Deadline Looms



Elliot Ackerman has served five tours in Iraq and Afghanistan as a U.S. Marine Corps officer and CIA officer. Over the past 10 days he and his cohorts have ‘unofficially’ evacuated around 200 people from Kabul airport.

“We gave these people our word, that if they worked with us, we would stand shoulder to shoulder with them.”

“Any decent human being would have a hard time turning their back on these pleas for help.”

Ackerman describes he and his operatives’ timely evacuation of 29 Afghans yesterday. They were able to get the group into the airport just 20 minutes before the Islamic State suicide bomb went off.

With the Aug 31 deadline for the U.S. to be withdrawn from Afghanistan looming, Ackerman gives his battle-honed perspective on the best course to take, both diplomatically and on the ground, going forward.