PRESS RELEASE

Rescue the Register

August 25, 2021

WASHINGTON -- Allied Airlift 21 (AA21) is a group of military veterans who are seeking to coordinate with the United States Government (USG) for the evacuation of thousands of people who worked for, supported, and risked their lives for the U.S. during operations in Afghanistan. AA21 has developed a turn key product that will greatly enhance the herculean efforts on the ground that the Department of Defense and Department of State are currently undertaking. 

Founded by West Point graduate Caleb McDaniel and a group of his classmates from the classes of 2016 and 2017 to assist their Afghan classmates escape Kabul, AA21 is now actively tracking approximately 3,000 families in danger as part of the “Rescue the Register” list. This registry represents nearly 15,000 human beings in extreme danger who can —and should— be extracted immediately. These include American citizens, Green Card holders, and Afghan allies, all of whom have been screened through the tireless work of hundreds of volunteers in the organization.

For each individual, 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 to HKIA or nearby locations for evacuation on short notice.

A meaningful portion of these individuals include Afghans with Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) applications currently in a “pending” status, resulting from COVID-19 restrictions or destroyed when the Embassy fell or impeded by any number of other circumstances. Their lives hang in the balance, with only bureaucratic processes separating them from safety. The USG must immediately process SIV applications quickly to 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. We must continue the mission and return with honor.

For more information, to volunteer, or to register for the evacuee database, please visit:https://www.alliedairlift21.org/

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