Save Moneer and Our Allies from the Taliban

Moneer with members of our Team in 2010.

I am a former Green Beret working to get Moneer -- my interpreter and trusted ally -- out of Afghanistan. Due to the US withdrawal, time has run out on the flawed US bureaucratic process designed to keep our interpreters from being murdered in the wake of their partnership with US and NATO forces. Moneer and his wife are in extreme danger, not to mention another 17,000 Afghan interpreters and their loved ones. Out of formal options, we’re taking action to get Moneer and his wife to a safe place until the US Government can make good on its obligations to those that have put so much on the line for us.

Moneer salvaging a Taliban Corolla during a firefight. 

Moneer’s case is extremely frustrating and gives me heartache. He has been waiting for more than a decade for his Special Immigration Visa, despite serving with Army Special Forces Teams, Rangers, and SEALs. I’m proud to know him: he has grown up since the age of eighteen among elite Special Operations warriors, and he shares our values and sence of integrity deeply. He was part of some of the best work done by the international effort, from high-risk missions to social enterprises. His efforts kept elite US service members alive on hundreds of dangerous missions and resulted in adversaries behind bars and more stable communities -- at least for a time. Despite this record and the moral obligation we have to protect these interpreters, the United States government has fallen flat on the promise of safety for Moneer and his wife.

Moneer distinguished himself with every unit he served on over the years, especially Army Special Forces (Green Berets). Our ability to communicate with locals in local Tribal leadership, Afghan government, and Security Forces were instrumental to mission success. We relied on his judgement and advice every day. He has been blown up by an IED, been in more firefights than many experienced soldiers, and served the US, NATO, and Afghanistan militaries for over a decade. Moneer receives threats on this life, has had his home and land stolen from him, and is vocal and active about sharing the loss of his fellow interpreters from extremists targeting those that helped the United States.

I've supported Moneer on his SIV process since 2010, but made little headway due to the bureaucracy, lack of transparency, and missing urgency of the current system. No one that I have spoken to at the elite units Moneer worked with could foresee the problems that he has faced getting this SIV approved, and it’s dumbfounding. After three tries at the visa, contact with my Congressional Representatives, non-profits, and lawyers, it's time to get Moneer and his wife out of the country before it's too late.

Moneer and I speaking to village elders and recruits from throughout our district. Moneer and I spent hours and hours together each day meeting with leaders and trying to navigate complex tribal and government dynamics. He earned my trust and deserves a Special Immigration Visa.

The funds from this GoFundMe will pay for an immediate evacuation of Moneer and his wife to Turkey where he can apply for asylum with the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and also continue the SIV processes. The budget is $15,000USD and was recommended by the leading non-profit dedicated to the interpreter SIV issue (No One Left Behind, https://nooneleft.org). This includes paying for two visas (~$7,000), airfare (~$1,000), two months living expenses (~$6,000), and Western Union transaction fees (~$1,000, the only way to get money to Afghanistan reliably). Any extra money will go to No One Left Behind to help them continue their mission of advocacy and resettlement of our Afghan allies.

Several members of the Team and others that have worked with Moneer in uniform have already volunteered to seed this GoFundMe with donations up $1,000. One of those volunteers is a former Afghan interpreter who had to go through this nightmare of his process himself, worked with Moneer as an interpreter, and is now a Ranger in the 2nd Ranger Battalion.

Join our team of Special Operations veterans to complete this part of the mission, keep Moneer and his wife safe, and to live American ideals.

Moneer and a Teammate after a community gathering.