Task Force Pineapple

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]