Nothing heroic here. Pilot did, what every student pilot does on an uncontrolled airfield in VMC conditions. Make the call on CTAF "Kabul traffic...." Throttle forward and off you go. PNF will look out too. Flight-plan activated at the next ATC center you reach as he did. If you do not find the exact situation in the FAA AIM. Thats what your grey mass between your ears is for and its called airmanship.
ATC op or inop will not prevent a shoot down. With so many US military airplanes minding their own business at that time, I would have taken the odds.