Iqbal was left behind

I'm Tisa McKim, a retired US Navy veteran currently residing in Papillion, NE. I'm raising money to evacuate a friend and his wife from Afghanistan.

I've known Iqbal since April of 2016 when he contacted me on Facebook. He was a student at the time and needed help from native English speakers. My background was in training and I didn't know any one from Afghanistan so, out of curiosity, I accepted his friend request and we've been friends ever since. I've learned a great deal about Afghanistan in return! Sometimes, I feel like I have another kid I've never met. I graded a lot of papers, sent a lot of audio files and chatted with him on Messenger. We've communicated in some form, almost every day. At least, every day he could access a way to communicate.

A lot has changed for him in those intervening years. He graduated, began work on a Masters, married, lost a brother, worked for the Forces as an interpreter and got left behind. Now he's at the mercy of the Taliban.

He has a small cadre of friends from all over the States who have done what we could to support him since the withdrawal. We've stayed in contact, sent some funds to keep him from starving, and written a lot of letters and emails to government officials. I've called the SIV desk several times to check on his application. The process is just unacceptably slow. He applied in January 2021. His life has been at risk since the withdrawal. His wife had to move home to her parents where it was more safe. Iqbal has suffered physically and mentally for many, many months under constant threat that he will be exposed as a former employee of the US and killed.

We now have some support via General Petraeus and the No One Left Behind organization. But Iqbal and his wife need Visas to get out of Afghanistan and get to Pakistan where they can immigrate. Due to the corruption in Afghanistan now, the Visas can be very costly, up to $3000 for both of them, and he's going to need money to settle in when he arrives with very little. I'm asking or $5000 to help Iqbal and his wife leave Afghanistan and come to America. This money will be used to pay for Visas or pay back the agency who paid for them and anything remaining will be given directly to Iqbal to use to establish a home here.

This is a talented and productive young man who will be an asset to our society. Please support his immigration and give as much as you can. We know times are tough for everyone so $5, $10. Just the cost of a coffee or hamburger will help us tremendously.

Thank you!