Paratroopers from XVIII Airborne Corp continue to support the Non-combatant Evacuation (NEO) mission in Afghanistan, August 21, 2021. The XVIII Airborne Corp units: 44th Medical Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division, 10th Mountain Division, The 16th Military Police Brigade, and 35th Signal Brigade continue to safely evacuating American citizens and designated Afghans from Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul. The Department of Defense is supporting the Department of State in evacuating U.S. civilian personnel, Special Immigrant Visa applicants, and other at-risk individuals from Afghanistan as quickly and safely as possible.
The Defense Department conceds that “hundreds” of Americans were left behind in Afghanistan as the final U.S. troops departed Afghanistan. Americans wishing to leave Afghanistan will now have to rely on diplomatic efforts by the State Department. CENTCOM Commander Gen. Frank McKenzie says: “We did not get everybody out that we wanted to get out.”