Discover and read the best of Twitter Threads about #AfghanEvac
Most recents (17)
Yesterday, members of the #AfghanEvac coalition joined volunteers from across the ecosystem for a @WhiteHouse event hosted by the NSC to recognize the work of the dedicated Afghans & volunteers who put their hearts and souls into this relocation & resettlement effort. 
While there are many hundreds & thousands of other dedicated folks who have been involved in this effort, this small group represents the wide range of volunteers who continue to work to ensure our Afghan friends can begin new lives here and pursue their own American dream.
A nonpartisan effort like none other, the volunteers all across this ecosystem represent the best of America, combining a wholesale commitment to our #Afghan allies, the willingness to do hard and heartbreaking work, and the unparalleled dedication to see it through to the end.
@pamconstable1 From your @washingtonpost article:
“The Taliban wants to segregate women. So it’s training female doctors.”
“This makes me feel like we have done something useful, that all my years of fighting were worth it,” said a Taliban security guard..
washingtonpost.com/world/2023/01/…
“The Taliban wants to segregate women. So it’s training female doctors.”
“This makes me feel like we have done something useful, that all my years of fighting were worth it,” said a Taliban security guard..
washingtonpost.com/world/2023/01/…
Taliban are NOT training women to become doctors:
Taliban banned #Aghanwomen from attending universities and from getting higher education in Afghanistan, according to the letter released by the Taliban's Ministry of Higher Education. cbsnews.com/news/taliban-b…
Taliban banned #Aghanwomen from attending universities and from getting higher education in Afghanistan, according to the letter released by the Taliban's Ministry of Higher Education. cbsnews.com/news/taliban-b…
I have to ask: just exactly how many #AfghanWomen did you interview before you published this story? I think you need to do more research: globalcitizen.org/en/content/afg…
The @StateDept Office of the Inspector General (OIG) released a follow-up report yesterday on the Afghan Special Immigration Visa (SIV) program.
#AfghanEvac top-line takeaways are in the thread below and we encourage everyone engaged to read this report:
stateoig.gov/report/aud-mer…
#AfghanEvac top-line takeaways are in the thread below and we encourage everyone engaged to read this report:
stateoig.gov/report/aud-mer…
Previous recommendations to @StateDept from the OIG on compliance with quarterly reporting and processing times were not fully or adequately addressed -- resulting in long-standing problems growing worse over the last year.
Wait times for processing are too long and not calculated consistently across different relevant orgs.
Interoperability challenges between government technology systems create issues with reliability of information.
Lack of interagency coordination continues to be a barrier.
Interoperability challenges between government technology systems create issues with reliability of information.
Lack of interagency coordination continues to be a barrier.
A year ago tomorrow. I've still barely had time to process. That morning of the Abbey Gate bombing, one of my team's contacts asked for our help getting a female athlete through the gate. We thought she'd entered the airport the night before. 1/
washingtonpost.com/national-secur…
washingtonpost.com/national-secur…
That morning French time, as my teammates in the US were asleep, we learned the athlete had been outside Abbey Gate for nearly 24 hours in the sun w/o water, since the TB had taken her backpack at the checkpoint. 2/
Our airport contacts had said they'd no longer be able to help by this time, but we had to try to get her through to her evac flight. My teammate awoke to my call because his daughter woke first & tossed a stuffed animal to wake him up. 3/
🧵 Leaving Washington after a fruitful week meeting with Afghans, @afghanevac team members, and government leaders from @StateDept, @WhiteHouse, @WHNSC, @DeptofDefense, @DeptVetAffairs, and @DHSgov.
We heard several positive updates from our colleagues in government regarding #EHC / TWC, process improvements at various points in the SIV and P1/P2 pipelines, and other good news.
We also heard some disappointing things we are still working through.
We will keep pushing.
We also heard some disappointing things we are still working through.
We will keep pushing.
This work comes with a lot of disappointment, so the good times matter.
Among the brightest spots of all of this are the interactions with Afghans and with the volunteers across the @afghanevac community.
The interactions this week were particularly impactful for me.
Among the brightest spots of all of this are the interactions with Afghans and with the volunteers across the @afghanevac community.
The interactions this week were particularly impactful for me.
A #TopTen list of things that, if enacted tomorrow, would drastically improve outcomes for all involved in #AfghanEvac
1. Appoint an Ambassador to Qatar (vacant 5 years)
2. Waive HP fees, issue clear guidance, and refund fees for #Afghans denied
3. Allow virtual visa interviews
1. Appoint an Ambassador to Qatar (vacant 5 years)
2. Waive HP fees, issue clear guidance, and refund fees for #Afghans denied
3. Allow virtual visa interviews
4. Direct and active @POTUS engagement with foreign leaders toward expanding capacity & throughput for flights & other processing overseas
5. Creative executive orders to maximize housing capacity, which would also address homelessness benefitting all Americans.
5. Creative executive orders to maximize housing capacity, which would also address homelessness benefitting all Americans.
6. Establish permanently & staff appropriately the CARE team at @StateDept, as well as the @DHSgov team & entire ecosystem of US gov agencies involved
7. Emergency funding for rapid expansion of resettlement agency staff & resources for national orgs & local affiliates.
7. Emergency funding for rapid expansion of resettlement agency staff & resources for national orgs & local affiliates.
I've tried to push past or ignore it but can’t deny that working on #AfghanEvac initiatives since the fall of Kabul has taken a toll on me—mentally, physically, emotionally, financially, and professionally. This has been a very dark winter in that regard.
I’ve struggled to concentrate most days; I’ve struggled to be "productive" on projects that I'm supposed to be pursuing. I’ve struggled with guilt over seeing so much pain and trauma, even if from a distance, when there is so little I can do in the vast majority of situations.
There is a deep, harsh guilt that comes from receiving hundreds of desperate messages (since my number, like that of many volunteers, has been shared/distributed so extensively at this point), whether weekly, daily, or hourly, and struggling with the sense of intense moral injury
I want to tell you about some of the bravest women I've ever known.
I want you to know how much each has overcome, as in choosing to pursue military service or becoming a policewoman, despite the many dangers and obstacles of being an Afghan woman in uniform even before the fall of Kabul. nytimes.com/2018/10/05/mag…
I want you to recognize and appreciate how hard each had worked and fought to succeed, often thriving despite these challenges and contributing to their country's security. These women have been our allies and contributed to the Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan for years.
Took some time off work and I'm on an plane, heading back to Washington, DC for another week focused on #AfghanEvac so I wanted to provide an update.
As always, you can find resources and more information at afghanevac.org
As always, you can find resources and more information at afghanevac.org
First: to our friends in #Afghanistan and their families here in the US and around the world: we see you, we hear you, and we will not forget the sacrifices you've made in our name. We are still here and hope to soon welcome you into our neighborhoods and our homes.
Tomorrow, our team is meeting all day to create better infrastructure, tools, and processes for our 115+ member organizations. We'll also be discussing methods to best keep folks around the world informed. Everything we do will center around #Afghans seeking help.
afghanevac.org/evacuation/
I recieved this email
"Hello and thank you for reaching out to #AfghanEvac,
We are receiving thousands of messages each day, so active monitoring of this inbox is very challenging and you should not expect a direct response. The inf below should help."
I recieved this email
"Hello and thank you for reaching out to #AfghanEvac,
We are receiving thousands of messages each day, so active monitoring of this inbox is very challenging and you should not expect a direct response. The inf below should help."
"The veteran and humanitarian communities have not forgotten the American citizens, legal permanent residents, visa holders, and other Afghan allies who are still in Afghanistan. We are continuing to work to find ways for you to leave the country. "
"communities coordinating with US gov+working toward safe+predictable relocation opportunities..If your family is currently in safe location,please stay there for now.We understand US is working to get Americans,GreenCardHolders
+LawfulPermanentResidents(LPR evacuated immediately
+LawfulPermanentResidents(LPR evacuated immediately
An update on #afghanistan:
The #AfghanEvac coalition and other groups have not forgotten the American citizens, legal permanent residents, visa holders, and other Afghan allies who are still in Afghanistan. We are continuing to work to find ways for you to leave the country.
The #AfghanEvac coalition and other groups have not forgotten the American citizens, legal permanent residents, visa holders, and other Afghan allies who are still in Afghanistan. We are continuing to work to find ways for you to leave the country.
The communities are coordinating with the US government and working toward safe and predictable relocation opportunities for those eligible.
If you and your family are currently in a safe location, please stay there for now.
If you and your family are currently in a safe location, please stay there for now.
We understand the US government is working to get American Citizens, Green Card holders and other Lawful Permanent Residents (LPRs) evacuated immediately and we understand that the they are working on plans to help visa recipients and applicants.
Guide to U.S. Private Groups for Rescue from Afghanistan
#AfghanEvac #ProjectExodus #SaveOurAllies #HonorthePromise #NoOneLeftBehind
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#AfghanEvac #ProjectExodus #SaveOurAllies #HonorthePromise #NoOneLeftBehind
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LINK to the Guide to U.S. Private Groups for Rescue from Afghanistan includes safety guidance for evacuees emilypostnews.com/p/guide-to-usp… #EmilyPosts
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Nazarene Fund
Website: thenazarenefund.org
Summary: @glennbeck charity has raised over $10 million and so far gotten thousands of people out of Afghanistan by plane, mostly from Mazar-e-Sharif. @thenazarenefund focuses on rescuing persecuted Christians.
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Website: thenazarenefund.org
Summary: @glennbeck charity has raised over $10 million and so far gotten thousands of people out of Afghanistan by plane, mostly from Mazar-e-Sharif. @thenazarenefund focuses on rescuing persecuted Christians.
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Really @PressSec?!? So many of us tried to warn @POTUS’ admin time: militarytimes.com/opinion/commen… & time: militarytimes.com/opinion/commen… & time: time.com/5955477/afghan… & time again: evacuateourallies.org No one listened. #AfghanEvac #DigitalDunkirk #Congress must investigate & legislate.
“If and when Afghanistan collapses, rapid air evacuations will be necessary. History provides a model for how the U.S. should move forward…We should do the same now for our allies in Afghanistan, while there is still time.” time.com/5955477/afghan…
“Should collapse come in Afghanistan, it will happen faster than Washington can respond…it will engender a rapid evacuation that, given Afghanistan’s unique place in the world & our geopolitical relations with its neighbors, must occur via air.” militarytimes.com/opinion/commen…
Initial thoughts on the catastrophe unraveling in #Afghanistan
1 - This flashbulb moment - this catastrophic withdrawal suddenly reminds us of the *people* stuck under Taliban rule. People we have largely ignored since we all put down The Kite Runner.
1 - This flashbulb moment - this catastrophic withdrawal suddenly reminds us of the *people* stuck under Taliban rule. People we have largely ignored since we all put down The Kite Runner.
2 - US strategies and tactics are now all, rightly, being questioned. Why? Because the brutal imagery of the withdrawal and the murder of 15 reminds us of the humans subject to the caprice of the meandering grand proclamations from Presidents and Mullahs.
3 - Do strategies fail when the stories of the people subject to them are absent from our national psyche?
We know *horrors* occur when we dehumanize others, should we learn *errors* occur when policy making doesn't have a heavy dose of empathy?
We know *horrors* occur when we dehumanize others, should we learn *errors* occur when policy making doesn't have a heavy dose of empathy?
If you're looking for a way to contribute to helping our friends in #Afghanistan get to safety, I recommend donating not to new orgs with a mission that ends in days but to one or more of the several established and credible orgs in immediate need of capacity. #AfghanEvac
1. @humanrights1st and the #EvacuateOurAllies coalition are doing incredible work. They provide a litany of other services to the most vulnerable among us. Donations to them will help Afghans now and into the future. humanrightsfirst.org/donationform?b…
2. @RESCUEorg is a global humanitarian aid, relief, and development NGO. They resettle refugees, those displaced by war, and other vulnerable populations then help them become self-sufficient. They will be directly responsible for resettling many Afghans. help.rescue.org/donate/afghani…
This is remarkable (and infuriating) as we hear about interruptions in evacuation flights at HKIA. #AfghanEvac
As they say, a THREAD
As they say, a THREAD
First, no one is disputing that SIV processing happened faster this summer, nor that a lot of good work went into that.
The problem is that it came too late. The surge in SIV processing is of little consolation to the Afghans whose passports were at the US Embassy when it fell.
The problem is that it came too late. The surge in SIV processing is of little consolation to the Afghans whose passports were at the US Embassy when it fell.
It's of little help to Afghans holding issued SIVs and standing outside the airport for the last week, facing bullets, tear gas, and standing in baking sun and sewage waiting to get out.
.@POTUS WHAT ABOUT OUR AFGHAN WARTIME ALLIES??? #KeepOurPromise #SaveOurAllies #TakeThemAll #AfghanEvac #EvacuateNow #DigitalDunkirk #TakeThemToo #AfghanLivesMatter #KabulAirlift #AfghanAirlift
It’s boggles my mind as to how they can possibly just now be this concerned. We’ve been warning them over and over again for seven months. Daily.
Next to completely abandoning them, this is our nightmare scenario.
