US Special Ops aircraft cover Kabul evacuation

More than a dozen US Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) aircraft joined the US-led airlift mission to evacuate civilians from Kabul in the 15 days after Afghanistan's capital city fell to Taliban forces.

A contingent of AFSOC aircraft were tracked operating from Nur Khan Air Base in Pakistan during Operation Allies Refuge, where they are believed to have stood up a combat search and rescue (CSAR) task force. From the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) base outside of Islamabad, these AFSOC aircraft were ready to launch into Afghanistan to recover any allied aircrew lost in the country, if such an event transpired.

79th RQS HC-130J at Al Udeid AB 06-02-20 [USAF/Senior Master Sgt Joshua L DeMotts]
A USAF-operated Lockheed Martin HC-130J Combat King II assigned to the 79th Expeditionary Rescue Squadron is prepared for a personnel recovery training mission at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, on February 6, 2020. Aircraft from this unit were used in support of Operation Allies Refuge in August 2021. USAF/Senior Master Sgt Joshua L DeMotts

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