The horrific scenes from the Kubal airport and the news the Taliban has taken over Afghanistan have resonated around the world.
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Its impacts are being felt far and wide, but more-so with those who've worked closely with Afghans during the past 20 years of war and those refugees who've settled in Australia.
These are just some of their stories:
'It's like hell': Afghan migrant fears for his homeland
Abdul Rasuli, 27, an Afghan living in Ballarat, in Victoria's Central Highlands, has been affected by the actions in his homeland.
"It's devastating actually, it's so difficult," Mr Rasuli said.
Mr Rasuli was shaken by the storming of Kabul.
"In Kabul, it's looting; there's nearly 30,000 prisoners released into Kabul," he said.
"It's like hell now. All the murderers and prisoners, they have got into the streets."
Taliban takeover 'demoralising', says former sniper leader
A former sniper leader in Afghanistan says the Taliban takeover is demoralising and a complete waste of two decades.
Paul Poduska spent four months in Afghanistan in 2009 and another eight months between 2011 and 2012.
During his final deployment, his best friend and fellow sniper Matthew Lambert was killed by an improvised explosive device.
Another three men lost their lives at the hands of a rogue soldier.
Mr Poduska said so many sacrifices were made with soldiers spending months or years away from their families.
"You think about it now and we could have been at home," he said.
"I could have spent birthdays with my kids and spent more time with my partner.
"We're extremely pissed off. Especially because we lost friends of ours on the ground and you think 'well if we didn't go, they'd still be around'."
Afghan refugees are reliving a nightmare
Afghan refugee Hakimeh Rahimi, is reliving a nightmare as she watches the Taliban wreak havoc throughout her homeland.
She witnessed the carnage before as a child in Malistan, south west of the country's capital Kabul, before her family fled to Iran as refugees in 1995 and later to Australia in 2014.
"It was always being attacked by the Taliban and we were always in danger," Mrs Rahimi said.
"When the Taliban came, then we left."
Mrs Ramihi fears for her relations trapped in Afghanistan.
Lawyer continues fight to bring Afghans to Australia
More than anyone lawyer Glenn Kolomeitz is well aware of what is going on in Afghanistan.
Kolemeitz undertook two tours of Afghanistan in 2009 - 2010, where as an Army legal officer, he was part of the processing of detainees suspected of being Taliban insurgents.
The NSW South Coaster worked alongside Afghan interpreters, many of whom were threatened with death for working with the Australians.
Many of those same people are now trying to escape Afghanistan and the reach of the Talban.
Since leaving the the ADF in 2013, he's embraced another mission - the welfare of veterans broken by their experiences in combat but more recently his focus has been on the interpreters, bringing their plight to the national attention.
He says there are 600 people including families that need to get out of Afghanistan and is working hard to get them out.
Torn apart: Afghan men fear for family hiding in Kabul
Sadiq Taimori's wife Razia and children Mahdi, 18, Hadia, 17, and Eleyas, 13, are hiding in a cousin's house in Kabul - short on food, money and hope.
They cannot leave the house and live in fear that the Taliban will come and take Hadia and force her to marry one of their fighters.
Mr Taimori last spoke to his wife and daughter on Monday night. "My daughter is scared a lot and keeps asking me 'Dad, try to do something - we have to leave as soon as we can'," he said.
Ex-AFP officer pleads for help for Afghanistan
A former AFP officer who was deployed to Afghanistan wants Australia to put pressure on the United Nations to form an international force to prevent a complete Taliban victory.
David Healey, who is now a lawyer studying "post-conflict policing in Afghanistan" at the ANU, is in despair over the American and Australian pull out.
"The Americans have blood on their hands," he said. "It's an absolute travesty and it need not have happened."
World has failed Afghanistan, says refugee
Nabi Zaher says the Taliban seizing control of Afghanistan was just the start of an "ongoing tragedy".
Mr Zaher has seen first hand the brutality the Taliban is capable of inflicting.
That's one of the reasons he fled Afghanistan to make a new home in Wollongong, south of Sydney.
But Mr Zaher couldn't help but feel "some guilt" over the last couple of days as he watched through various news services the Taliban once again cause "fear and destruction" to the Afghani population.
'Absolutely no regrets': Howard on his role in Afghanistan war
The Australian prime minister who ordered the involvement of Australian troops in Afghanistan told The Canberra Times in an exclusive interview he had "absolutely no regrets" about his decision 20 years ago.
John Howard decided to stand with George W. Bush in the American president's decision to attack the bases of Al Qaeda, the organisation behind the hijackings of four aircraft on September 11, 2001.