Over 400 Minnesota guardsmen provided support at Kabul airport before evacuation
Credit: Army Capt. Vincent Struble. 1st Lt. Michelle Jaeger, a platoon leader with the Minnesota National Guard's A Company, 1st Combined Arms Battalion, 194th Armor Regiment, interacts with Afghan children as part of operations at Hamid Karzai International Airport on Aug. 21, 2021. Minnesota Soldiers are providing humanitarian assistance to U.S. citizens, special immigrant visa holders, and their families.
More than 400 Minnesota National Guard soldiers provided support at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Afghanistan before the U.S. completely evacuated, ending the 20-year war.
The National Guard said over 400 soldiers from the Task Force 1-194, 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 34th Red Bull Infantry Division deployed to the airport less than two weeks ago. There, they provided perimeter security and provided humanitarian assistance to U.S. citizens, Special Immigrant Visa holders and their families.
On Aug. 30, officials learned that all 1-194 soldiers had safely returned to Camp Buehring, Kuwait.
The entire task force, which consists of more than 1,000 Minnesota National Guard soldiers, is set to return to Minnesota this winter after deploying to Kuwait back in March.