{"id":70487,"date":"2021-08-16T21:15:31","date_gmt":"2021-08-16T21:15:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/uncategorized\/2021\/08\/16\/informal-group-of-troops-vets-working-to-help-afghans-seeking-refuge-in-us\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T14:55:07","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T14:55:07","slug":"informal-group-of-troops-vets-working-to-help-afghans-seeking-refuge-in-us","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/2021\/08\/16\/informal-group-of-troops-vets-working-to-help-afghans-seeking-refuge-in-us\/","title":{"rendered":"Informal group of troops, vets, working to help Afghans seeking refuge in US"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure class=\"wp-block-smg-jwplayer-video\"><atype-video-jwplayer nostick=\"true\" playlisturl=\"https:\/\/cdn.jwplayer.com\/v2\/playlists\/fCzRqMW8?tags=cc38ad5d-6daf-4d36-9a94-3e3ec88e5a4e\" poster=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/video-poster-cc38ad5d-6daf-4d36-9a94-3e3ec88e5a4e.jpg\" aspectratio=\"16 \/ 9\" mute autostart=\"false\"><\/atype-video-jwplayer><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Crowds swarmed the runway at the Kabul airport as people desperately tried to get flights out of the country in the hours after the Taliban took over.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For nearly a year, \u201cNadia,\u201d who worked as an interpreter for U.S. forces in Afghanistan, has been desperately trying to leave, fearful of revenge by the Taliban.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sunday night, as the insurgent group took control of that war-torn nation, her pleas for help reached a fever pitch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cMe and my family are in trouble,\u201d she wrote in a WhatsApp message. \u201cThe Taliban is very bad people.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Nadia and others who worked with U.S. forces during the nearly 20 year now-lost war in Afghanistan are seeking a way for they and their families to come to America, the place for which they <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/opinion\/commentary\/2021\/08\/14\/living-in-fear-of-the-taliban-a-letter-from-a-former-afghan-translator\/\" target=\"_blank\">risked<\/a> it all. They\u2019ve shared their stories with Military Times, hoping against long odds to be evacuated. Nadia requested anonymity out of fear of retribution by the Taliban.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cToday it was very chaotic and crowded I couldn\u2019t reach [the airport] and besides there is a Taliban checkpoint that checks the people,\u201d Safar Ali Paiam, an interpreter who worked with the Army, told Military Times in an email Monday morning from Kabul. &#8221; I decided to go to the airport near the evening.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Paiam said he\u2019s heard reports that the Taliban started checking homes of people who were government employees or worked with NATO allies. In a tweet, Fox News reporter Jennifer Griffin reported that<b> \u201c<\/b>the Taliban have already started going house to house in Kabul to look for any Afghan Special Forces who fought alongside the US military.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/commentary\/2021\/08\/15\/living-in-fear-of-the-taliban-a-letter-from-a-former-afghan-translator\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"174\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Safar-Ali-2.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Living in fear of the Taliban: a letter from a former Afghan translator<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">An Afghan translator talks about being taken captive by the Taliban.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As the Taliban took over Sunday, raising their flag over the Afghan presidential palace, the Pentagon and State Department announced a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2021\/08\/15\/us-ramps-up-evacuation-efforts-as-taliban-once-again-takes-over-afghanistan\/\" target=\"_blank\">ramp up<\/a> of efforts to evacuate thousands of U.S. personnel, Afghan embassy employees, families and those seeking SIVs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But as Afghans rush toward the airport, chaos has ensued. media around the world have posted images of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2021\/08\/15\/concerns-over-us-terror-threats-rising-more-troops-deployed-as-taliban-takes-over\/\" target=\"_blank\">desperate<\/a> Afghans clogging runways and clinging to at least one massive U.S. military cargo jet as it was taxiing for takeoff on the lone runway in the country available for what is turning into a massive effort as the U.S. and allies try to fly thousands of people out in the ensuing days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Nadia felt a glimmer of hope Sunday night. A group of active-duty service members, who have their own list of former interpreters, Afghan military personnel and others<b> <\/b>they are trying to get out of the country, provided details<b> <\/b>about a checkpoint at HKIA where people enter. Hours after getting the information, Nadia messaged Military Times that she had arrived at the airport.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>Helping hands<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Joe Saboe<b>,<\/b> a former U.S. Army infantry officer who served in Iraq, is the spokesman for about a dozen individuals who have served in the U.S. military and various government agencies. The group is attempting to find a way out for more than 50 individuals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cOur group is working on about 51 individuals right now in Afghanistan who are either passport holders, U.S. citizens, U.S. green card holders, Special Immigrant Visa applicants, or people that have partially completed SIV applications,\u201d Saboe told Military Times. \u201cWe\u2019ve been in direct communication with everyone on the ground in Kabul for about 48 hours or more now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The situation is rapidly deteriorating, Saboe said. He communicates with people on the ground in Kabul through WhatsApp and other secure messaging apps. He told Military Times that U.S. diplomatic staff is no longer at Kabul international airport. As a result, not only are SIVs not being processed, but U.S. citizens aren\u2019t either.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cNo one\u2019s processing anyone, so U.S. passport holders are being turned away by American troops on the ground, green card holders are being turned away by American troops on the ground,\u201d Saboe said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1740\" height=\"406\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/email11.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-105781\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/email11.jpg.jpg 1740w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/email11.jpg.jpg?resize=300,70 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/email11.jpg.jpg?resize=768,179 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/email11.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,239 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/email11.jpg.jpg?resize=1536,358 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1740px) 100vw, 1740px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A screenshot from an email turned over to Military Times. The email details the frustration encountered by Joe Saboe&#8217;s group as they seek to help Afghan and American citizens leave Afghanistan.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Matt Zeller, who served in Afghanistan as a U.S. Army intelligence officer, now works with the Association of Wartime Allies, a group seeking to evacuate Afghans that supported U.S. involvement in the country. Zeller, who is also in regular communication with both Americans and Afghans attempting to flee the country, told Military Times that chaos at the airport prevents Americans and Afghans alike from leaving.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThese are American citizens who are showing their passports to the United States Marines, and they\u2019re not being admitted entry,\u201d Zeller told Military Times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">State Department officials declined to answer questions about whether staff remain in Kabul, instead referring all questions to a briefing to follow remarks by President Joe Biden scheduled for this afternoon. Additionally, Saboe and Zeller say they are receiving reports from those they\u2019re attempting to shepherd to safety stating that the Taliban controls the airport perimeter and has been firing on those attempting to find safe passage out of the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe perimeter of the airport is completely controlled by Taliban on all entrances to the airport. Both the civilian side and the military side,\u201d Saboe said. \u201cThe Taliban have been firing on all of the family groups that we\u2019re working with. Accurate fire, that\u2019s the pinned them down, in some cases for hours at a time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For months The Association of Wartime Allies has been attempting to work with elements of the U.S. government to fly Afghans and their families. Zeller says warnings that the Afghan government could collapse, as it is doing now, were ignored by officials in Washington.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201c[Department of] State, DoD, the White House, you name it &#8211; we reached out to the whole of government,\u201d Zeller said. \u201cThe only people who got back to us were members of Congress who at first said, \u2018Well, this is terrifying because this is not what we\u2019re hearing from the Biden people.\u2019 And Congress then started looking into it, and what they learned was, oh my goodness, the advocates are right. That\u2019s exactly what\u2019s transpiring here. There doesn\u2019t seem to be a plan to save these people.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Saboe explained the unofficial process by which he and other members of his group attempt to help people flee the country. As information is sent from those in Kabul they\u2019re attempting to lead to safety, Saboe\u2019s group identified the best ways to get to the airport and on a flight. This involves mapping out Taliban checkpoints around the airport and keeping tabs on which routes are the most effective. He says the group has been doing this due to the State Department\u2019s seeming inability to do so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1332\" height=\"715\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/terptext1.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-105783\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/terptext1.jpg.jpg 1332w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/terptext1.jpg.jpg?resize=300,161 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/terptext1.jpg.jpg?resize=768,412 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/terptext1.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,550 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1332px) 100vw, 1332px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A screenshot of a conversation from an Afghan interpreter, who is now an American citizen, who was turned away from Kabul international airport.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThere\u2019s not any coordination involving [DoS] at this point from what we can see on the ground, and it\u2019s, preventing those who most need [to leave the country] from doing so,\u201d Saboe said. The result of this lack of coordination is panic and a rush of people attempting to flee the country at any cost. As a result, Saboe\u2019s group advises those trying to flee to take their chances sheltering in place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>Fear among those who helped<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Speaking to Military Times via his son, who translated the confersation,<b> <\/b>Afghan Col. Mohammad Noor Qadri expressed fear for his safety. He hopes he can evacuate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI locked myself in my house with my family last night we didn\u2019t sleep for all night worrying what will happen,\u201d said Noor, a deputy inspector general for the Afghan military. \u201cThere was some gun firing and U.S. helicopter[s] were flying all night. I\u2019m very scared and worried about my life and my children life\u2019s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAnything happens no one is responsible and accountable &#8230; I hope everything gets better soon but I\u2019m not sure I know it is difficult . Now I just want to save our life. I don\u2019t know what to say and what to do and where to go.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For Nadia, the trip to HKIA was not easy. She said she and her family were stopped at a Taliban checkpoint in Kabul and had their car searched, she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI hid my phone,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Outside the airport, the Taliban were firing off weapons, Nadia said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She eventually made it inside the airport, but there were no flights available, so she turned around and went home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe are scared,\u201d she said, making yet another desperate plea for answers on how to escape a dire fate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cDon\u2019t know what will happen to us,\u201d she said. \u201cPlease sir, give me accurate information.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Just received a first hand account that the Taliban have already started going house to house in Kabul to look for any Afghan Special Forces who fought alongside the US military. The Taliban have all the records of those who served from the KKA (AFG Special Forces).<\/p>&mdash; Jennifer Griffin (@JenGriffinFNC) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/JenGriffinFNC\/status\/1427317151334113284?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">August 16, 2021<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Taliban control is raising alarms for Afghans and Americans in Kabul.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":46529,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":16,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[101,24,89,16,26,65],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3237,3247],"class_list":["post-70487","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-home","category-middle-column","category-news","category-newsletters","category-pentagon-congress"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"SIBZQ2QQFFDHHAVVASXJAFOLUE","arc_canonical_url":"\/flashpoints\/afghanistan\/2021\/08\/16\/informal-group-of-troops-vets-working-to-help-afghans-seeking-refuge-in-us\/","remove_feature_photo":true,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Informal group of troops, vets, working to help Afghans seeking refuge in US - Air Force TImes<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Taliban control is raising alarms for Afghans and Americans in Kabul.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Informal group of troops, vets, working to help Afghans seeking refuge in US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Taliban control is raising alarms for Afghans and Americans in Kabul.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/2021\/08\/16\/informal-group-of-troops-vets-working-to-help-afghans-seeking-refuge-in-us\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Air Force TImes\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-08-16T21:15:31+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-08T14:55:07+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Howard Altman, James R. 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