Allied Airlift 21 (AA21) is a group of military veterans who is ready now to coordinate with the United States Government (USG) to support the evacuation of thousands of Afghans who worked for, assisted, and risked their lives for the U.S. over 20 years in Afghanistan. AA21 has developed a turn key product that will complement the current evacuation ongoing in Kabul. For each Afghan ally and their family members, AA21 can provide detailed documentation for verification purposes and is in continuous contact with individuals on the ground and their American sponsors, thus retaining the ability to instruct these individuals for evacuation on short notice.
Originally organized by members of the West Point Class of 2016 to assist two Afghan classmates evacuate Kabul, AA21 is now actively tracking over 3,600 families in danger as part of the “Rescue the Register” list – a list that continues to grow by the hour. This registry represents over 19,000 Afghans in extreme danger who should be extracted immediately. The majority of the Register is composed of Afghan allies and their families as well as relatives of American citizens and Legal Permanent Residents. AA21 is working around the clock to screen and verify each of these individuals through the tireless and selfless work of hundreds of vetted volunteers in the organization.
A material portion of these individuals include Afghans with Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) applications currently in a “pending” status, resulting from COVID-19 restrictions, the evacuation of the U.S. Embassy, and other circumstances. These lives hang in the balance and we are in a race for time. With AA21’s ongoing efforts, the USG can quickly process these applications and ensure that the thousands of Afghan allies who supported the U.S. are not left behind.
The Taliban pose a looming threat to those who are left in the wake of our withdrawal. We must not fail them. Incorporating AA21’s Register into the United States Government’s evacuation plan will honor our national commitment to these allies who deserve a chance and the promise of freedom.
For more information, to volunteer, or to register for the evacuee database, please visit: https://www.alliedairlift21.org/.
