GoFundMe, the large crowdfunding platform that handled the release of the funds, told AFP that Flyaway had complied with US and international laws and financial regulations. Kraft said two new flights with room for 600 passengers are ready to leave as soon as possible. "That froze everything," lamented Enrique Herrera, a retired US Air Force member who was given the job of "special operator."Īnother $1.2 million was sent to a women's NGO and around $1 million remains yet to be spent, accounts show. "Flyaway" flights that had already been paid for were cancelled due to the deteriorating security and soaring insurance premiums, but later were able to resume. The companies were in the process of organizing several additional flights when on August 26 a suicide bombing claimed by the Islamic State group tore through Kabul Airport, killing more than 100 people including 13 American soldiers. US authorities have previously investigated Steele on suspicion of fraud, according to the Washington Post. The money was shared between several charter companies including Egyptian firm Mayfair and Kiwijet, owned by New Zealand businessman Nicolas Steele. They spent $4.79 million on chartering several flights that helped rescue the 565 Afghans. "This is the purest thing that I've ever done," Hatch told AFP. Jason Hatch, a retired army officer and ex-diplomat, took responsibility for finding papers for Afghans already in transit in the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kosovo, Uganda and Albania. "Everybody had a shared sentiment that we have to do something," said Kraft, the backbone of the operation. Thousands of people mobbed Kabul airport in August while trying to flee the Taliban after a stunningly swift end to Afghanistan's 20-year war Photo: AFP / Wakil Kohsar He was approached by Raven Advisory, a former Pentagon and CIA security services agency, and enlisted Karen Kraft, a former US Army Reserve officer turned TV producer who heads a veterans association. The self-described "liberal-pacifist" turned to war-zone professionals for guidance. "It was a crazy viral burst of money," said Marcus, who then needed to figure out what to do with it. Within three days, he had received more than $7 million, with 123,000 people donating an average of $59 each. The influencer urged his followers to help him raise at least half a million dollars in 24 hours. 'Operation Flyaway' spent millions of dollars on chartering flights that helped rescue hundreds of Afghans Photo: US AIR FORCE / Taylor CrulĪmong them was one from a longtime fan who claimed to be working with a group that recently got a few hundred people evacuated to France and was now out of money, according to Marcus. Marcus posted a message to his followers saying he wanted to help but wasn't sure how, and within a few minutes "thousands and thousands" of responses poured in, he told AFP. He was overwhelmed by photos and messages from Afghans pleading with him to act, including one from a woman who wrote: "For humanity and justice accept me as a refugee in a safe country." Marcus, known on social media for humorous memes that target ex-president Donald Trump and tackle issues related to vaccinations and abortion, was stunned by the images of desperate Afghans hanging from a US military plane that was taking off from Kabul airport. Messages from Afghan women, children, LGBTQ people, social workers, journalists and interpreters to organizers begging for help to flee the country have also been read. It is a plotline worthy of a Hollywood movie: a combination of the power of social networks, rapid crowdfunding and the logistical efficiency of American veterans that led to the rescue of 565 Afghans.ĪFP has spoken to several of the main actors of "Operation Flyaway," which was launched on August 17 and is ongoing, and reviewed contractual and budgetary documents related to chartered planes and arrivals in the United States.įrom his home in New Jersey, Instagram influencer Tommy Marcus started what would become an extraordinary operation to evacuate hundreds of Afghans Photo: AFP / Ed JONES
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |