“I would not believe it, to be honest with you,” Mr. Wali said. When the Taliban first took control of Kabul, Mr. Wali thought he would never see his family again, he said. At the suggestion of two of his restaurant’s customers, he contacted Mr. Suozzi, who reached out to Mr. DeMarco at Allied Airlift to get the ball rolling. After the Wali family was cleared for evacuation, finding them in the sea of thousands outside Kabul’s airport was the next challenge. “It’s a needle in a haystack,” Mr. DeMarco said.

Source: International New York Times September 08, 2021 21:53 UTC