The plan was simple: once evacuees cleared Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and tested negative for COVID-19, those receiving humanitarian parole would be sent to safe havens on eight military bases to complete their processing. 11, a total of 45,521 Afghans passed through the Dulles Expo Center in Chantilly, Va. Most of those planes then landed at Dulles International Airport, and from the early morning hours of Aug. After the planes departed Kabul, many landed on military bases around the world-referred to as lily pads-before departing again for the United States. Soldiers and diplomats worked tirelessly to fill planes and evacuate as many Americans, colleagues, and allies as possible.
The world watched as more than 120,000 people were airlifted from Afghanistan in August 2021. 1, Ambassador Laura Dogu (fourth from left), the director of CONUS Afghanistan Task Force (ATF) operations, looks on as a Department volunteer (right) assists a young evacuee. While leading a tour of the Dulles Expo Center with a delegation of Virginia General Assembly members, Sept.
