ISSAQUAH, Wash. — A U.S. veteran who fought and worked with Afghan allies is working to evacuate those now fearing for their own lives under Taliban rule.
In an office space in Issaquah on Sunday afternoon, combat veteran Matthew Griffin is on a mission.
“I’m telling you, we feel like we’re up against the clock with these teachers and educators, and we’re not wrong on these calls. We are up against the clock with these people,” Griffin said.
Griffin is an Army Ranger who served three tours in Afghanistan, but he found his calling outside the military. For the better part of two decades, he’s worked with nonprofits that help educate young Afghan women.
“My life’s purpose has disappeared in the last week and the only thing I can do is to help people get out,” he said.
Women and their families are now reaching out to him for help. It’s been more than a week since the U.S. withdrew troops, and the messages he has received in that time have been heartbreaking.
“The Taliban has started searching every house in our neighborhoods and are not trustable people,” Griffin said reading one such message aloud.
Many of the families that message him are desperate to seek asylum or refugee status outside Afghanistan as the Taliban forces solidify control. Taliban forces continue to pose a threat to the airport in Kabul – the country's sole international airport that’s been inundated with thousands of people trying to get out.
“Right now, honestly, the best thing I can do is sit at my computer nonstop and pull every string I can to, one, make them feel calm and, two, keep them safe and, there, get them moved out as fast as we possibly can,” he said.
Earlier this month, Griffin alongside another veteran raised money and successfully evacuated an Afghan translator who worked alongside them in battle and subsequently faced retaliation from the Taliban.
For every person he helps leave, another is added to his list. It's a mission that appears to have no end in sight.
“I went there and looked people in the eye and told them we would keep them safe,” Griffin said.