These are the shocking moments of chaos as British troops destroyed ‘billions of pounds’ of equipment to prevent it from falling into enemy hands when Kabul fell to the Taliban.
The images show destroyed helicopters and military vehicles, with vast swathes of abandoned equipment strewn across Hamid Karzai International Airport in the Afghan capital.
The war-torn nation’s chaotic military withdrawal in 2021 will be revealed through never-before-seen footage in the three-part series Evacuation, airing today on Channel 4.
Speaking about the chaotic scene, Gaz McMahon, a Master Sergeant with the Parachute Regiment, described the enormous cost of the destruction required.
He said: ‘I can’t describe how much kit and equipment was everywhere.
The images show destroyed helicopters and military vehicles.
Vast swaths of abandoned equipment can be seen strewn around the Hamid Karzai International Airport in the Afghan capital.
The troops burn their manifestos to prevent the names of the people who had left from falling into the hands of the Taliban.
A military vehicle is destroyed when a soldier smashes its dashboard and controls and abandoned helicopters lie in sheds with their engines open and debris all around them.
Speaking about the chaotic scene, Gaz McMahon (pictured), a master sergeant in the Parachute Regiment, described the enormous cost of the destruction required.
“HKIA airport was like a cross between “Mad Max” and “28 Days Later”.
‘On the back of every military equipment brochure is a page on how to deny that equipment, which no one ever reads. But we destroyed a lot of equipment.
“Sand was put in the gas tanks, the engines were run to seize them. Embassy vehicles were being destroyed by bulldozers.
Billions of pounds of equipment were left there.
Afghanistan fell back into the hands of the Taliban in 2021 after President Joe Biden followed through on a deal struck by Donald Trump to fully withdraw US forces from the country after a 20-year conflict.
The multi-billion dollar government forces that the United States spent decades training and arming could fight the Islamists to a standstill before reaching a power-sharing deal.
In the end, Ashraf Ghani’s forces capitulated without much of a fight, leaving US forces and allied troops trapped in the Afghan capital as it fell to Islamists and sparked a hasty and dangerous evacuation mission.
Biden’s allies both at home and abroad have openly accused him of surprising them with his rush to get out before August 31 and criticized his handling of the ensuing crisis.
RAF Police Squad Leader Diana Bird (pictured) was involved in the demolition, and photos show her armed with a sledgehammer as she destroys a military vehicle.
The photos show her armed with a sledgehammer while destroying a military vehicle.
Taliban fighters pose for photographers with their weapons in 2021 as they patrol the streets of Kabul, amid reports that British and American collaborators were being taken away for “punishment”.
Taliban fighters flying their flag walk through central Kabul in 2021 as they try to maintain security in the capital.
Pictured: Women filmed pleading with US troops that “the Taliban are coming” in footage that appears to have been taken at Kabul airport.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Britain’s hasty withdrawal from Afghanistan was “the culmination of a mission unlike anything we have seen in our lifetimes.”
Diana Bird, an RAF police squad leader, was involved in the demolition, and photos show her armed with a sledgehammer as she destroys a military vehicle.
She said: “Taking in a bit of the pent up aggression, anger and frustration of the last few weeks was a really good way to start that decompression process.”
“We burned all our manifestos, because we didn’t want the names of the people who had left to fall into the hands of the Taliban. So we had a big bonfire.
The gruesome scenes of the evacuation saw people run over by taxiing planes, stowaways plummeting from midair aircraft engines, and desperate mothers handing babies to departing soldiers.
The video shows how the maniacal troops react in amazement as they destroy their equipment.
In one scene, a squad points to a bag on the ground and yells, ‘Free bag, free bag! Look! Look! Look! Wild! Wild!’
A military vehicle is destroyed when a soldier hits the dash and controls and abandoned helicopters lie in sheds with open engines and debris all around them.
In other clips, an embassy Toyota and a Landrover are seen being pulled over by a forklift.
Jeeps are destroyed with sledgehammers and cement blocks
An Afghan boy walks near abandoned military uniforms at Kabul airport on Monday after the Taliban took control of the city in 2021.
A little girl is thrown over the airport wall in 2021 when the Taliban started to move through the city of Kabul. The airport was the last part of the city defended by US troops.
In one scene, a squad points to a bag on the ground and yells, ‘Free bag, free bag! Look! Look! Look! Wild! Wild!’
The jeeps are destroyed with sledgehammers and cement blocks.
In other clips, an embassy Toyota and a Landrover are seen being pulled over by a forklift.
Ms Bird now lives with PTSD and spoke about the Afghan woman attacked by the Taliban who she had to turn away because they were ineligible for transit.
One of the few female leaders in the RAF, she had to quickly assemble a team to get her to Kabul.
She continued: ‘I was taking nineteen year olds. I basically took a sixth grade field trip to Kabul.
“You absolutely feel for each and every one of these people, but we couldn’t save everyone.
I have my stone. Yeah, it’s my… my PTSD stone. It’s right next to a beach in Cornwall, but it’s got a lot of little rough areas and sharp bits and stuff.
“You have something that helps you get back to where you are, reminds you that you are here instead of there.”
- The evacuation will air on Channel 4 on Sunday, July 2 at 9:00 p.m., and will continue on consecutive nights. This clip is from episode 3, which will air on Tuesday.
