Allies

From Lawfare and Goat Rodeo, this is Allies. A podcast about America’s eyes and ears over 20 years of war in Afghanistan. This show will take you from the frontlines of the war to the halls of Congress to find out: How did this happen?

In order to tell you this story, we need to start at the beginning, just before the U.S. invasion. After 9/11, the CIA set their sights on al-Qaeda’s base in Afghanistan. After a military invasion that fall, people up and down the chain of command learned that in order to fight this war the US needed local partners to help.For anyone needing help or advice relating to relocation and resettlement from Afghanistan, the independent Evacuate Our Allies Coalition staffs a operations center 7 days a week that can be reached at:Email: evacuateourallies@gmail.comPhone: +1 (213) 358-7953 (live Monday - Friday, 7am - 7pm PT; Saturday & Sunday 9am - 5pm PT)More information on the Coalition is available at http://www.evacuateourallies.org.Lawfare and Goat Rodeo are not part of the Coalition and cannot provide legal advice or referrals.

In 2003 the US started another war with the military invasion of Iraq. There, soldiers, aid workers, diplomats and politicians saw the threat that local interpreters, translators and partners faced for their work. That’s when Congress created the SIV program for Iraqi interpreters and then recreated it for Afghanistan. But it quickly became clear that this program wasn’t working as intended.For anyone needing help or advice relating to relocation and resettlement from Afghanistan, the independent Evacuate Our Allies Coalition staffs a operations center 7 days a week that can be reached at:Email: evacuateourallies@gmail.comPhone: +1 (213) 358-7953 (live Monday - Friday, 7am - 7pm PT; Saturday & Sunday 9am - 5pm PT)More information on the Coalition is available at http://www.evacuateourallies.org.Lawfare and Goat Rodeo are not part of the Coalition and cannot provide legal advice or referrals.

Fred was born and raised in Afghanistan. In 2004 he took a job as an Afghan interpreter. He ended up serving side-by-side with American soldiers for more than 13 years. Fred firmly believed in the US mission and thought that he was helping the Americans help his country. But when the Taliban started targeting him after a mission, Fred started looking for a way out. The SIV program was supposed to help.For anyone needing help or advice relating to relocation and resettlement from Afghanistan, the independent Evacuate Our Allies Coalition staffs a operations center 7 days a week that can be reached at:Email: evacuateourallies@gmail.comPhone: +1 (213) 358-7953 (live Monday - Friday, 7am - 7pm PT; Saturday & Sunday 9am - 5pm PT)More information on the Coalition is available at http://www.evacuateourallies.org.Lawfare and Goat Rodeo are not part of the Coalition and cannot provide legal advice or referrals.

Matt Zeller deployed to Afghanistan in 2008, where an Afghan interpreter saved his life. Matt Zeller spent years trying to get him resettled in the United States and saw the problems with the SIV program firsthand. Together, they started lobbying to fix it in Washington, DC.For anyone needing help or advice relating to relocation and resettlement from Afghanistan, the independent Evacuate Our Allies Coalition staffs a operations center 7 days a week that can be reached at:Email: evacuateourallies@gmail.comPhone: +1 (213) 358-7953 (live Monday - Friday, 7am - 7pm PT; Saturday & Sunday 9am - 5pm PT)More information on the Coalition is available at http://www.evacuateourallies.org.Lawfare and Goat Rodeo are not part of the Coalition and cannot provide legal advice or referrals.

We return to Fred—an Afghan combat interpreter who served with American soldiers for more than 13 years. After years of denials, an ad hoc team of lawyers and veterans tried to push his Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) application through federal bureaucracy. Then, we describe how a new president aimed to bring the SIV program to a screeching halt.Guests: Fred, Dave Lemoine, Sari Long, @Sari_Long, Jonathan Schroden @JJSchroden, Olivia Troye @OliviaTroye, Mark Storella @MarkStorellaFor anyone needing help or advice relating to relocation and resettlement from Afghanistan, the independent Evacuate Our Allies Coalition staffs a operations center 7 days a week that can be reached at: Email: evacuateourallies@gmail.com Phone: +1 (213) 358-7953 (live Monday - Friday, 7am - 7pm PT; Saturday & Sunday 9am - 5pm PT) More information on the Coalition is available at http://www.evacuateourallies.org. Lawfare and Goat Rodeo are not part of the Coalition and cannot provide legal advice or referrals.

20 years of war and broken bureaucracy culminate during the US withdrawal at the Kabul airport. Thousands of Afghans rush to the tarmac where American forces sort through the crowds. Veterans, advocates and politicians try to get their allies out while the Taliban rapidly takes control of Afghanistan.  You’ll hear first-hand accounts of people fleeing Afghanistan. And how thousands more were left behind to face an uncertain future. Guests: Hakimi, Chris Purdy @itsapurdy, Jawad Sukhenyar @JawadSukhanyar, Seth Moulton @sethmoulton, Peter Meijer @RepMeijer, Elliot Ackerman, @elliotackermanFor anyone needing help or advice relating to relocation and resettlement from Afghanistan, the independent Evacuate Our Allies Coalition staffs a operations center 7 days a week that can be reached at:Email: evacuateourallies@gmail.comPhone: +1 (213) 358-7953 (live Monday - Friday, 7am - 7pm PT; Saturday & Sunday 9am - 5pm PT)More information on the Coalition is available at http://www.evacuateourallies.org.Lawfare and Goat Rodeo are not part of the Coalition and cannot provide legal advice or referrals.

Mahnaz was a member of a Female Tactical Platoon in the Afghan Military. She was one of tens of thousands of Afghans who came to the United States during the withdrawal from Afghanistan. In our final episode, you’ll learn about the bureaucratic mess they’re still going through to get resettled. And how Congress could pass legislation to help, but it might not even come up for a vote.Guests: Mahnaz, Rebekah Edmondson, Shala Gafary @ShalaGafary, Shawn VanDiver @shawnjvandiver, George Packer, Kirk Johnson @KirkWJohnson