‘It looked apocalyptic’: Crew describes Afghan departure

By LOLITA C. BALDOR
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. military pilots and aircrew who made the final flights out of Afghanistan say the sky was lit up with fireworks and sporadic gunfire and the airfield littered with battered shells of airplanes and destroyed equipment. In interviews with The Associated Press, one American said it looked apocalyptic, “like one of those zombie movies.” Stray dogs raced around the tarmac. And Taliban fighters, visible in the darkness through the green-tinged view of night vision goggles, walked the airfield waving an eerie goodbye. Members of the Air Force’s 816th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron recall the final hours of the military’s evacuation operation Monday night as very tense but ending in cheers.