According to the US Marine who pulled her out, she was the last person rescued prior to the explosion
DETAILS OF DRAMATIC RESCUE OF AFGHANISTAN WOMAN WHO ESCAPED THE TALIBAN--
According to the US Marine who pulled her out, she was the last person rescued prior to the explosion
In recent days I have written about the dramatic rescue of the Afghanistan woman that we helped escape from the Taliban. Professor Sheldon Malev, Congressman Mondaire Jones, Senator Charles Schumer, the US Marines- we were all part of a team that helped Freshta escape from the Taliban successfully.
This is a miracle. The odds were against Freshta. She was the victim of a bomb attack and became disabled. She was evicted by her landlord who threatened to report her to the Taliban. On her way to the Kabul airport she was whipped by a metal whip and injured. She is now in Germany. And, hopefully (soon) will be in Westchester. Her cousin, Sophia lives in Ossining. Once she is home we will organize a group of volunteers who can help her have a great life in the United States. Will advise of her needs as we learn of them.
E mail from Professor Sheldon Malev, a Greenburgh resident below to me. Sheldon Malev will be honored at our Greenburgh Town Board meeting on September 8th at 7:30 PM. If Sheldon hadn't taught Sophia, Freshta wouldn't be alive today.
PAUL FEINER
EXTERNAL: Do not click links or open attachments if you do not recognize the sender.
Paul,
I received a letter yesterday from a Marine involved in Freshta's rescue at the Kabul Airport's "Abbey Gate". It included a photo of Freshta inside a crushing crowd of desperate Afghan citizens at the gate, holding up their identification, and pleading to be rescued.
The photo was taken just before American Marines pushed their way into this crowd to pull Freshta out and into the airport for safety. Moments later the IED suicide bomb exploded in that very same location. According to this Marine, she was the last person rescued prior to that explosion.
As heroic as the Marines who saved Freshta at the Airport gate were, they credit her with being even more outstanding in terms of her ability to get to that point at the Airport.
The Marine who sent me the letter, wrote:
"The rescue was extraordinary, but pales in comparison to the extraordinary actions and perseverance displayed by Freshta. She is an inspiration."
In the letter, the writer introduced himself as part of: "... a small ad hoc team of various folks who helped get (mostly) former interpreters through the Abbey gate at HKIA."
He also wrote, "I am very proud of the work my team did, but prefer to remain anonymous."