Esther Joy King, the Republican nominee in Illinois’ Seventeen Congressional District, is releasing her first digital ad of the cycle on Monday — on the first anniversary of the fall of Kabul, Afghanistan — highlighting her work to help 51 people escape the country under Taliban control.
King, a captain in the U.S. Army Reserve Judge Advocate General (JAG) Corps, a former aid worker in Afghanistan, is releasing the digital ad on Monday highlighting Narges, a young woman King helped rescue from Afghanistan following the United States’ disastrous withdrawal from the country in August 2021.
King told Breitbart News, “A year ago today, I watched, as the world did, Kabul fall to the Taliban. In the coming days and weeks, we would mourn the death of 13 American soldiers killed in a terrorist attack at the Kabul Airport and watch as Americans and Afghans risked their lives trying to escape the Taliban.”
The hasty withdrawal — under President Joe Biden — lasted roughly two weeks, and amid the chaos, a bombing happened outside one of the gates to the Kabul airport, where the country’s evacuation confined and ultimately killed 13 U.S. servicemembers and more than 100 Afghans.
For weeks after the U.S. fully left the country, there was controversy surrounding the withdrawal and the possibly thousands of Americans, American allies, and Afghans left behind. Many U.S. citizens, such as King, used their contacts to help save countless lives.
King, like others, worked tirelessly to get 51 young women whom she knew from her time there out of Afghanistan as the Taliban took control. In the digital ad, Narges shares her story of being at the Kabul airport trying to leave the country and eventually being able to — giving credit to King’s perseverance to get her out.
“I made a promise to help Narges and many others get out, and I am forever grateful for the Marines on the ground who helped me keep that promise,” King continued.
“Our responsibility is to put America first, and our troops only belong where we can justify an American security interest, but we also had a moral obligation to end this war the right way,” King added. “Unfortunately, that didn’t happen under President Biden, and we’re seeing the consequences play out on the world stage. We have to do better because our servicemembers, our allies, and the American people deserve it.”
The digital ad transcript:
Voiceover: We begin with Afghanistan. Thousands of Afghans now scrambling to get out – the Kabul Airport packed earlier today.
Narges: I was at Kabul, Afghanistan, airport during evacuation. I saw violent scenes during that day.
I was so scared of what would happen to me as a young Afghan woman. I knew I could trust Esther because she never quits.
She was in contact with me the whole time. Esther told me, “I’m going to get you out.”
At that moment, a group of Marines coming for us and picking us – my family and my friends and me – up. I felt safe.
I also had hope for the future. And I started dreaming about my new life in the U.S. I could leave Afghanistan because of Esther Joy King.
On-screen, it shows, “In August 2021, Esther Joy King helped save 51 young girls from the Taliban’s control.”
Jacob Bliss is a reporter for Breitbart News. Write to him at jbliss@breitbart.com or follow him on Twitter @JacobMBliss.