Save my Afghan Interpreter and His Family

We are trying to support our Afghan interpreter and his family as they try to survive day-to-day until they can escape Afghanistan and find new lives in a much safer location. As a young man, Ali (not his real name) put his life on the line for American and NATO organizations. He provided interpreter services for US Army Special Forces, NATO forces, the US State Department and USAID, and international NGO’s. The Taliban know the value of his services and have tried several times to kill him. Once they shot him off his motorbike and left him for dead. He survived. Another time, they attacked him as he was driving his car. They missed him but killed his mother in the back seat.

 

Ali has been applying for the Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) for years. In recognition of his service, his SIV has been approved, but he was unable to leave the country before the collapse of the government. Now he is in hiding and his life is in danger.. He has found “night letters” (warnings from the Taliban or those close to them) on his door. He has gotten phone calls telling him that he and his family will be killed. Ali has had to move frequently and change his phone number often in order to keep himself, his wife, and his two small children ahead of the Taliban. Because of the danger, he can’t work even if there were jobs available.

Three of us, all retired US military officers (two of us are also former US State Department officers) worked with Ali while we were stationed in Afghanistan. Again, we are not stating the specific location due to security concerns. Ali provided us with critical and life-saving support. Now it’s our turn to help him. We are working to get Ali and his family out of the country as soon as possible. Ali and his family have their passports.  All their paperwork is in order and submitted to the US State Department.  However, the State Department has always been extremely slow and applications are still languishing.  We need to help support the family until a flight can be arranged. This, in a country that is now a humanitarian disaster, is not easy. Once they are evacuated, they will go to an intermediate country until final relocation to the United States is approved and arranged. This could take a very long time, during which they will have to rely on donations and other support. Then they will need support in settling into the United States, a country that is very, very different from the one they left.

 

Your donation will, literally, save the lives of a brave man who served the United States well for many years, along with his wife and two young children. 100% of every donation will go to Ali and his family for living expenses including food and shelter.  Per GoFundMe guidelines, none will be used for transportation expenses out of the country.  While they are in Afghanistan and any intermediate country, we will send the funds through valid services such as Western Union and Moneygram.

 

If you prefer to donate to an organization, we recommend the Special Operations Association of America, who is working hard to rescue those who supported our soldiers.