The UK Afghanistan Veterans Community - AVC

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The UK Afghanistan Veterans Community - AVC

AVC is a community for Afghan veterans by Afghan veterans fostering connection & providing mutual support. Charity #1212336
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Our work seeks to remember individual stories and the selfless values demonstrated throughout their service and beyond.

03/09/2026

👀As the dust settles on an emotional few weeks for our community, with the 5 year commemoration of OP PITTING, our ever-brilliant charity Chaplain Clare, reflects and shares an individual story of inspiration.

💛Stop. Take a moment to watch and listen. Breathe. Reflect. Hope.

We thank all those who served for what you did, and do today. It mattered.

28/08/2026

The last stage was incredibly compressed. British personnel had to:

✅complete the evacuation of remaining eligible people;

✅secure the airport;

✅protect the final diplomatic personnel;

✅prepare their own withdrawal;

✅hand over/coordinate with US forces;

✅get onto the final aircraft.

Operation PITTING ended on 28 August 2021.

In just over two weeks, the UK evacuated more than 15,000 people on around 100 flights. Approximately 600 soldiers from 16 Air Assault Brigade had provided force protection and logistical support at Kabul airport. It was the largest airlift since the Berlin during the Cold War.

We as a community remember their service and sacrifice. With the youngest on operations that day aged just 18, it is entirely possible an Op PITTING Veteran will represent us at the Cenotaph in 80 years time.

Our community will be here for them for next 80 years. We hope our posting these last couple of weeks reflect how proud we are of all who gave some. Some gave all.

27/08/2026

𝟐𝟕 𝐀𝐮𝐠𝐮𝐬𝐭, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟏, 𝐎𝐩 𝐏𝐈𝐓𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 — 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐬𝐡𝐮𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧

This is a particularly significant day. The UK closed the processing centre at the Baron Hotel. That meant Britain stopped calling additional people forward for evacuation. Instead, the focus shifted to:

✅getting people already processed into the airport;

✅getting those people onto aircraft;

✅bringing out British diplomats and officials;

✅withdrawing the military force itself.

The MOD explicitly stated that closing the processing centre would allow aircraft capacity to be concentrated on people already processed and then on the remaining diplomats and military personnel.

So for those on the ground, the mission changed from:

"Get people into the evacuation system"

to:

"Get everyone already inside the system out—and then get ourselves out."

We will never forget those who contributed to this effort, both in and out of uniform.

26/08/2026

𝐎𝐩 𝐏𝐈𝐓𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆- 𝟐𝟔 𝐀𝐮𝐠𝐮𝐬𝐭 — 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐛𝐛𝐞𝐲 𝐆𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐤

This was the most serious event of the entire operation. A su***de bomber from ISIS-K attacked crowds near Abbey Gate, one of the entrances to Kabul airport.

The attack killed numerous Afghan civilians and 13 US service members.

For British troops, this fundamentally changed the security situation. They now had to assume that another attack could occur while the evacuation was still underway.

The soldiers weren't simply dealing with a hostile crowd anymore—they were operating in an environment where a terrorist attack was an immediate possibility.

This post serves as memory to those US personnel killed and all the civilians who lost their lives in the attack.

24/08/2026

𝟐𝟑–𝟐𝟓 𝐀𝐮𝐠𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟏 — 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐤 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐫𝐮𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐎𝐩 𝐏𝐈𝐓𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆

The UK knew that the evacuation couldn't continue indefinitely. The Americans controlled the overall security situation at Kabul airport and had set 31 August as their withdrawal deadline. Britain therefore had to get its civilians, Afghan evacuees, diplomats and ultimately its own military personnel out before the Americans departed.

The British force was consequently operating under extreme time pressure.

The operation had essentially become:

👉Process people → protect them → move them to aircraft → fly them out → repeat.

And it had to happen continuously.

By 23 August, the UK had evacuated thousands of people, and the operation was running at full pace. We salute their ingenuity under such pressure.

Photo credit Crown Copyright

22/08/2026

𝟐𝟏–𝟐𝟐 𝐀𝐮𝐠𝐮𝐬𝐭, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟏 𝐎𝐏 𝐏𝐈𝐓𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 — 𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐥 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥

By this stage, the airport approaches were becoming extremely dangerous.

Huge crowds were gathering outside the airport, with people attempting to get through Taliban checkpoints and reach the British/US-controlled areas.

British troops were having to:

✅maintain physical barriers;

✅control entrances;

✅separate people into groups;

✅identify people who had been called forward;

✅deal with injured or distressed civilians;

✅prevent crushing incidents;

✅keep the evacuation route functioning.

This was particularly difficult because British troops didn't control Kabul outside the airport.

The Taliban did.

UK personnel found themselves standing metres away from Taliban fighters while trying to get an eligible Afghan safely into the airport. That took an enormous amount of physical and moral courage.

Photo credit © Crown Copyright 2022

20/08/2026

𝐃𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝟏𝟗–𝟐𝟎 𝐀𝐮𝐠𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝟓 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐠𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐎𝐩 𝐏𝐈𝐓𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐝𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐭.

This is where the operation became particularly difficult.

Thousands of Afghans were desperate to get into the airport. British troops were confronted with people who genuinely feared Taliban reprisals, alongside people who didn't necessarily meet the UK's evacuation criteria. This included many Veterans back in the UK trying to get people out via the 'little ships' of WhatsApp that was mobilised across the Veterans community.

The UK personnel therefore had a very difficult job: Get as many eligible people through as possible without allowing the airport perimeter to collapse.

They were providing practical assistance as well—food, water, medical support and other supplies were being provided to evacuees. The MOD later specifically highlighted the troops' role in providing these essentials. At the same time, the RAF was flying people out as quickly as aircraft and processing capacity allowed.

We remember all that they did in the most difficult of conditions.

Photo credit: © Crown Copyright 2022 Special thanks to forces photographers Corporal Rob Kane

18/08/2026

𝐎𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐨𝐧 𝐎𝐩 𝐏𝐈𝐓𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝟓 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐠𝐨, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝟏𝟖 𝐀𝐮𝐠𝐮𝐬𝐭 — 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐩𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐊𝐚𝐛𝐮𝐥.

The UK committed another 800 troops to reinforce the evacuation effort.

This was important because those on the ground had to perform several jobs simultaneously:

𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭

✅security;

✅crowd management;

✅searching/checking people;

✅moving evacuees between processing areas and aircraft;

✅force protection of aircraft and military personnel.

𝐎𝐮𝐭𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞/𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭

✅dealing with crowds trying to enter;

✅coordinating with US forces and other nations;

✅trying to locate eligible British nationals and Afghans;

✅protecting British officials.

The airport was effectively becoming a military-controlled island surrounded by Taliban-controlled Kabul. This demonstrates further the professionalism of those deployed on Op PITTING and we will never forget their service.

For many, this brought them face-to-face with the Taliban. For the first time since Helmand...

17/08/2026

𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝟓 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐠𝐨 𝐨𝐧 𝐎𝐩 𝐏𝐈𝐓𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐚𝐜𝐮𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠.

By 17 August, the immediate priority was turning Kabul airport into a functioning evacuation hub. British Service persons were:

✅securing parts of the airport;

✅protecting British diplomatic and government personnel;

✅helping establish the processing system for evacuees;

✅managing crowds and movement around the airport;

✅supporting the RAF airbridge.

We salute their courage and professionalism for what was about to come during the next phase of Pitting.

16/08/2026

On this day on Op PITTING the first UK evacuation flight reaches RAF Brize Norton with 370 evacuees.

In essence, 16 August was the day Operation Pitting shifted from a planned evacuation into an emergency airlift conducted amid the airport's collapse into disorder.

Thousands of civilians breached the airport and crowded onto the runway, temporarily disrupting evacuation flights. British troops from 16 Air Assault Brigade helped protect the military side of the airfield and manage people at entry points, including the now infamous Abbey Gate.

The UK deployment was reinforced by roughly 200 additional troops, bringing the announced force to about 900 personnel as evacuation efforts accelerated.

The day was marked by panic and severe security problems around the airport. Full-scale RAF mass airlifts followed on 17 August, once US forces had re-established control of the airfield with British assistance.

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