Task Force Pineapple Explained

Task Force Pineapple is a task force set up by a volunteer group of U.S. veterans to evacuate American citizens, as well as Afghan allies and their families, following the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan.[1] As of 30 August 2021, the group had evacuated over 1,000 refugees.[2]

History

Task Force Pineapple was founded on 15 August 2021 by Scott Mann, a retired Green Beret,[3] to rescue an Afghan commando he had served with.[4] The commando was receiving death threats from the Taliban for having served alongside SEAL Team Six for a dozen years.[5] After rescuing the commando and his family of six, the group began planning to rescue more people.[6]

Communicating with each other via an encrypted chat room, a group of 50 Task Force Pineapple members collaborated with U.S. Special Forces and the U.S. embassy[7] to rescue 500 more people on August 25 in a mission called "Pineapple Express".[8] [9] The slow and steady system of maneuvering the Afghan families in the darkness was modeled after the Underground Railroad.[5] In order to confirm their identities, the refugees (referred to by the group as "passengers") had to show the volunteers a picture of yellow pineapples on a pink background.[10] Task Force Pineapple members acted as "conductors"; they were led by former Green Beret Captain Zac Lois, who was the group's "engineer".[5]

The group was planning the next stage of its week-long rescue operation when the suicide bombings at the Hamid Karzai International Airport occurred. Several of the task force's refugees were injured in the bomb blast or went missing.[11] As of 30 August 2021, the group had evacuated over 1,000 refugees.[2]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 2021-08-28. Syracuse teacher, a retired Green Beret, helps evacuate Afghan allies. 2021-08-31. syracuse. en.
  2. Web site: Norman. Greg. 2021-08-30. Task Force Pineapple: New York teacher, an ex-Green Beret, among US vets assisting Afghanistan evacuations. 2021-08-31. Fox News. en-US.
  3. Web site: 2021-08-27. 'Amerikaanse veteranen redden 500 Afghanen uit Kabul tijdens geheime operatie'. 2021-08-31. Telegraaf. nl.
  4. Web site: 2021-08-27. U.S. Veterans Escort Hundreds of Afghan Allies to Airport for Evacuation in Daring Operation. 2021-08-31. National Review. en-US.
  5. Web site: Meek. James Gordon. US special operations vets carry out daring mission to save Afghan allies. 2021-08-31. ABC News. en.
  6. Web site: Veteran US Special Forces working to rescue Afghans. 2021-08-31. The Jerusalem Post JPost.com. en-US.
  7. Web site: Alexander Ward. Conservatives are backing Afghanistan's resistance movement. 2021-08-31. POLITICO. en.
  8. Web site: Zitser. Joshua. Special Ops veterans' secret mission to rescue 500 Afghans in Kabul rivaled a 'Jason Bourne thriller,' commander says. 2021-08-31. Business Insider. en-US.
  9. Web site: Brown. Lee. 2021-08-27. 'Pineapple Express': US vets volunteer to secretly rescue allies in Afghanistan. 2021-08-31. New York Post. en-US.
  10. Web site: Veteran group says it moved 630 Afghans to Kabul airport: Report. 2021-08-31. www.aljazeera.com. en.
  11. Web site: 2021-08-27. Veterans carry out secret 'Pineapple Express' mission and smuggle out 500 Afghans. https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220526/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/pineapple-express-afghanistan-mission-usa-b1910037.html . 2022-05-26 . subscription . live. 2021-08-31. The Independent. en.

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