Escape from Kabul: The Inside Story (Paperback) - Levison Wood

A shocking and engrossing account of the withdrawal of Allied troops from Kabul in August 2021, and the disastrous events that followed.

'An important account of one of the defining moments of the modern world' PETER FRANKOPAN
**Pre-order the paperback now!**

Readers' praise for Escape from Kabul:
'It's rare for a book to be so well written that you feel you are there yourself. I felt like I was holding my breath reading it. Truly eye opening and shocking'
'Must read for military historians. Brilliantly written by those who understand modern warfare and politics. Highly recommended.'
'A compelling page-turner'

The evacuation of Kabul in August 2021 will go down in military history as one of the most unexpected events in modern times. In an eerie replay of the disastrous British retreat from Kabul in 1842, coalition troops withdrew from Afghanistan after twenty years of military campaigning. The subsequent collapse of the Afghan government and its army shocked the world, as a resurgent Taliban gathered its forces and swept across the country. Thousands of Afghans who had worked with the allies were left to the meagre mercy of the Taliban.

As the Taliban went door to door to execute 'collaborators', a small international task force set out on a daring mission to evacuate as many Afghans and their families as possible.

Drawing on a wide range of first-hand accounts - the politicians and officers who planned the trans-continental rescue, the young soldiers who were faced with the unenviable task of keeping a crowd of thousands of desperate people at bay, former interpreters and soldiers of the Afghan Special Forces who made it out - Escape from Kabul is the harrowing true story of Operation Pitting and the Kabul airlift.

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'An essential contribution to the historical record, told with lucid flair' - Sophy Roberts

'A compelling account of one of the most seismic events in recent years. . . Vividly told, Escape from Kabul captures the human cost of America's deal with the Taliban' - Larisa Brown

'Escape from Kabul is savage, adrenalin-fuelled, brutally honest, compelling, and essential reading. Wood and Jones are a dream team writing about a nightmare. . . These are the stories that soldiers tell each other when the press and politicians have packed up and moved on. These are the real stories of the men and women who snatched honour from the jaws of humiliating betrayal and defeat' - Ben Timberlake

'Escape From Kabul explains through personal knowledge and eye-witness testimony the bravery, endurance and professionalism of men and women tasked with achieving the near-impossible'- Stuart Ramsay, Chief Correspondent, Sky News

'Wood and Jones have done an excellent job of translating that chaos into a powerful narrative, replete with human drama and - to some extent - horror. It is certainly compelling and disturbing reading' - Mail on Sunday

About the Author

Levison Wood is an award-winning author, explorer and photographer, whose books and documentaries have won critical acclaim around the world. Levison's passion for adventure and discovering more about indigenous ways of life has taken him to over 100 countries. He served for several years as an Officer in the British Parachute Regiment, including an operational deployment to Afghanistan, where he fought Taliban insurgents in Helmand. Geraint Jones is an author and military historian who served as an infantry soldier in Iraq and Afghanistan. His war memoir Brothers in Arms was published in 2019, and his co-written account No Way Out was a Sunday Times bestseller. Geraint has also published several fiction titles, including titles with James Patterson.