‘Forget the visas’: The scramble is on to save Afghan partners as Taliban close in – By Bryan Bender and Alexander Ward (Politico) / Aug 14 2021
Ad hoc groups of ex-officials are desperately trying to extract their former Afghan colleagues.
As U.S. troops evacuate diplomats from Kabul this weekend, a frantic effort is also underway behind the scenes to rescue Afghan interpreters and other local partners and their families before they are executed or otherwise punished as collaborators by the Taliban.
In a flurry of texts, phone calls and emails to members of Congress, Pentagon and State Department colleagues — and anyone in their network who may have contacts who can help — military and diplomatic veterans are pulling out all the stops to try to save Afghan friends and colleagues either awaiting evacuation by the State Department or whose applications for a special immigrant visa remain in bureaucratic limbo.
“The situation is extremely desperate,” said Mariah Smith, a retired U.S. Army officer who did three tours in Afghanistan. “I am heartbroken over the ones we can’t help.”
Smith is rushing to buy up seats on the few commercial airlines still flying out of Kabul International Airport on behalf of No One Left Behind, a non-profit dedicated to assisting Afghan and Iraq interpreters.
