Veterans Group Rescues 23 More Abandoned by Biden in Afghanistan

Project DYNAMO, a nonprofit rescue organization based in Tampa, Florida, announced on Monday it was able to evacuate 23 American citizens and lawful permanent U.S. residents from Afghanistan, with no assistance from the U.S. State Department.

“The actions of a forward-staged Project DYNAMO team, led by Bryan Stern and Abdul Wasit, both combat veterans, resulted in the safe return of four American citizens and 19 lawful permanent residents of the U.S. –  11 of whom were children as young as four years old,” the group said in a press release on Monday.

According to Project DYNAMO, the evacuees met at an “undisclosed location near the capital city of Kabul on Thursday.” They were all given coronavirus vaccinations and PCR tests in addition to food and water. 

The evacuees were then “quietly bussed to Kabul International Airport” early Friday morning and flown to the United Arab Emirates (UAE). After an overnight layover, they flew to Italy, and then to New York’s JFK International Airport, where they arrived safely on Saturday evening.

“It’s an indescribable feeling when the plane’s wheels touch down on American soil, but there are still so many left behind that need to be evacuated,” said Stern, evacuation team leader and co-founder of Project DYNAMO.

The group said this weekend’s mission was planned in December, immediately after a successful operation to evacuate 47 American citizens and lawful permanent residents through the UAE. 

“With delays from the U.S. State Department and an Afghan economy in quick decline, Project DYNAMO was the last hope for many of those rescued,” the press release noted.

Evacuee Taj Momand said his family pleaded for help from the State Department and several other organizations, finally turning to Project DYNAMO two weeks ago. He praised the group for putting together a rescue plan in less than 24 hours and implementing it successfully on Friday.

“I want to tell the world that Project DYNAMO risked their safety to ensure my family’s return to America. Thank you for rescuing us, saving our lives and bringing us back home,” Momand said.

Another evacuee, Naser Majroh, gave a harrowing account of trying to escape with his large family during President Joe Biden’s disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan in August.

“We were able to make plans with the U.S. State Department, but were unable to get to our gate because so many people were trying to leave. The Taliban were hitting us, shooting into the air; my son’s arm was broken while I was presenting his U.S. passport, so we had to wait until he healed before we could leave Afghanistan,” he said.

Project DYNAMO noted its mission has been complicated by recent developments in air travel, including flight disruptions caused by airlines worried about new 5G wireless networks interfering with aircraft electronics.

On the other hand, the group applauded a new bill introduced in the House by Rep. Young Kim (R-CA) that would establish congressional oversight of the State Department’s evacuation programs, hinting that such oversight might lead to more U.S. nationals and lawful permanent residents obtaining government assistance for their escape efforts.

The Biden administration has been trying to put Afghanistan in its rear-view mirror, but as the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) noted last month, the State Department still periodically admits that hundreds of Americans and lawful permanent residents are still trapped there. 

The State Department claimed in December it was “currently in touch with fewer than a dozen U.S. citizens who want to leave Afghanistan, are prepared to depart, and have the necessary travel documents,” a statement the WSJ viewed as evasive because it implied only a tiny handful of people truly wanted to leave – an impression easily debunked by reviewing the work of groups like Project DYNAMO.

“Private organizations and congressional offices have supplemented the Administration’s efforts, but sources on Capitol Hill say a lack of transparency from the Administration has made the job more difficult. Accurate information has been hard to get. When information occasionally is released, it tends to focus on positive numbers like total repatriations and relocations instead of those left behind,” the WSJ noted, making it easy to understand why rescue organizations might see Rep. Young Kim’s bill as a game-changer.

“We’re not stopping until every last U.S. citizen and permanent resident who wants out of Afghanistan is back stateside. While we’re expecting the State Department to provide assistance soon, the fact is our operations are completely funded by generous donors. The more donations we get today, the more people we can save tomorrow,” Project DYNAMO’s Stern vowed after returning with the latest group of evacuees.