Afghan Air Force pilot to Americans: 'We did not all just give up and quit'

Afghan pilot.
(Image credit: SHAH MARAI/AFP via Getty Images)

One Afghan Air Force pilot, forced into hiding until rescued or found out by the Taliban, wants Americans to know Afghan soldiers did not just apathetically throw in the towel when it came to defending their government.

"Many Afghan soldiers died bravely," the pilot told The Bulwark. "I've been fighting for over fifteen years. We did not all just give up and quit." Yes, some did, the pilot conceded, but "the logistics, maintenance, and corruption" brought on after the U.S. withdrawal "really hurt us." While addressing the nation on Monday, President Biden said American forces cannot and should not be fighting in a war that "Afghan forces are not willing to fight for themselves."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
Explore More
Brigid Kennedy

Brigid Kennedy worked at The Week from 2021 to 2023 as a staff writer, junior editor and then story editor, with an interest in U.S. politics, the economy and the music industry.