SBS Dateline | Frontline Rescue

Thousands of soldiers and civilians have been injured over the 10 years since the allied invasion of Afghanistan, but many are still alive today thanks to a brave team of flying doctors.

Filmmaker Vaughan Smith follows the US Army medical team as it flies in to the battlefield to rescue people from both sides of the conflict.

The paramedics land in dangerous territory and have to run through thick dust clouds created by the helicopter, not knowing what’s on the other side.

What they often find are people with missing limbs and other horrible injuries, but they say their job is worth it if they can save lives.

WATCH - See this confronting story in a special edition of Dateline, presented by Yalda Hakim in Afghanistan. Apologies, but this video is only available in Australia for copyright reasons - international viewers can see the report on Al Jazeera's website.

AFGHANISTAN'S TURNING POINT? - Also in this program, Yalda reports on the increased turmoil since the death of peacemaker Burhanuddin Rabbani, and asks if talking to the Taliban has failed.

INTERACTIVE - Use our interactive guide for analysis of the main events during the 10 years of war in Afghanistan.

WORLD NEWS AUSTRALIA - SBS's World News Australia has a special section with more coverage of the 10 year Afghan War and news stories marking the anniversary, including an SBS Radio interview with Yalda about her story.

REPLAY - Look back at Dateline's other recent stories from Afghanistan, including our special program marking the 10th anniversary of the September 11 attacks.