NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — A man from Long Island on Wednesday was able to thank the Long Island congressman who helped his wife and three kids secure a flight out of Afghanistan last month.
Plainview resident Mohammad Wali, who has owned Ariana Afghan Kebab in Midtown Manhattan for 20 years, was desperate to get his wife and three children out of Afghanistan when the U.S. withdrew its troops and the Taliban took over, he told WCBS 880.
Fearing for his family’s safety, Wali reached out to Rep. Tom Suozzi’s office asking for help. The congressman promptly connected with a nonprofit called Allied Airlift 21, which has been helping people evacuate Afghanistan.
After nearly two weeks of frantic communication, Suozzi’s office managed to book Wali's wife and children — two of whom are American citizens — a flight out of the country.
"You have to try and prioritize the cases in very desperate circumstances. This family got special attention from my office, as did others, because there were two children that were U.S. citizens," said Suozzi.
Wali said his family members were told to wear red bandanas so they could be picked out of the crowd at the Kabul airport.
“[Suozzi] found somebody on the ground... and gave contact, and gave us the message,” he said. “And [they] put the bandana[s] to just know where [they had] to be."
Wali's family members flew out of Afghanistan days before an ISIS-led suicide attack outside the airport killed 13 U.S. service members and at least 170 other people. Wali and his family met with Suozzi on Wednesday.
“Two weeks ago, I, along with assistance from former U.S. soldiers on the ground in Kabul and my staff here in the U.S., helped safely evacuate the Wali family from Afghanistan,” Suozzi wrote on Twitter. “And today, I had the honor and the pleasure to personally welcome them to New York!”
Wali said he is grateful his wife and children are back in the U.S.
"Thanks to Mr. Tom, the way he helped me, I'm never going to forget it," said Wali, who hugged his kids for an hour once they touched down in America.
Wali said he is looking forward to starting a new life with his wife and kids by his side.
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