CONFLICTED: “How the US is Abandoning its Afghan Allies”

Podcast: CONFLICTED (Message Heard)
Hosts: Thomas Small and Sean Vandiver
Date: February 12, 2026

Episode Overview

This episode dives deep into the fate of America’s Afghan wartime allies in the wake of the chaotic US withdrawal from Afghanistan, the breakdown (and successes) of resettlement programs, and the abrupt policy reversals under Trump’s renewed presidency. Thomas Small interviews Sean Vandiver—US Navy veteran and founder of Afghan Evac—who shares first-hand accounts, exposes the bureaucratic failures, and makes a moral and strategic case for honoring America’s promises to its allies.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Plight of Afghan Wartime Allies

• Background: The Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) program was created to resettle Afghans who worked with US forces, including interpreters, drivers, and intelligence operatives. From the start, the process was complex and difficult.
• Systemic Failures: Eligible Afghans faced excessive paperwork, slow processing, and strict eligibility (such as at least one year of service, later reduced from two). There was inadequate provision for those injured in US service ([10:47], [11:59]).
  • Quote (Sean Vandiver, 12:07):
    “Say you had a leg blown off… American veterans would be medically retired, sent home, taken care of for life. Afghans just get fired and lose their jobs.”
• Nature of Collaboration: Afghans risked being branded as traitors by their own communities. Many truly bought into American ideals, with first-hand ties to the promise of the American dream ([12:36]).

2. Pre-Withdrawal Hardening of US Immigration

• Trump Administration Impact: Introduction of the “Muslim ban” and dismantling of the US refugee program made it even more difficult for Afghan allies to immigrate. Bureaucratic slowdowns and COVID further stalled visa processing ([14:38]–[16:47]).
  • Quote (Sean Vandiver, 15:35):
    “It wasn’t just the Muslim ban. It was... deconstructing the entire refugee program... The system in ashes.”
• Human Perspective: Despite adversity and growing anti-immigrant sentiment, Afghan allies’ belief in America did not waver, but they became used to waiting—often in hiding ([19:09]).
  • Quote:
    “I’ve never seen one of these folks' belief in the idea of America waver... They would hide and wait.”

3. The Doha Agreement and Its Failures

• No Protection for Allies: The 2020 US-Taliban Doha Agreement, aimed at facilitating US withdrawal, ignored the fate of Afghans who had aided the US ([21:14]).
  • Quote (Sean Vandiver, 21:14):
    “There was nothing about what would happen to our wartime allies there, and that was a mistake... We just don’t know what we really got out of this agreement.”

4. The US Withdrawal & The Birth of Afghan Evac

• Chaos of Withdrawal: As Kabul fell, Afghans—promised protection—were left at the mercy of the Taliban. Afghan Evac formed in real-time as a volunteer coalition to support their extraction ([23:58]–[27:05]).
  • Memorable Moment (25:02):
    Vandiver recounts receiving a desperate message from “Lucky,” an Afghan ally trapped by Taliban, asking him to grant his last wish—getting his family to safety.
    • “Brother, I had to go to the top of a mountain to get cell service. We’re surrounded by the Taliban. We’re running out of ammunition. I think I’m going to die. Will you grant my last wish and help get my family back...?”
• Self-Organizing Rescue: Afghan Evac coordinated group chats, phone trees, and real-time intelligence, quickly becoming a functional bridge between Afghans and US officials. Practically, they flagged dangerous checkpoints, coordinated with on-the-ground Marines, and intercepted would-be scammers ([27:56]–[28:22]).

5. Policy Progress under the Biden Administration

• New Partnerships: Despite the chaotic exit, Vandiver and Afghan Evac established formal links with senior White House and State Department officials—John Finer, Curtis Reed, Jake Sullivan, Ron Klain, Tony Blinken, John Bass—and contributed to major new programs ([30:32]–[31:20]).
  • Memorable Quote (33:58):
    “We were able to get them to establish Enduring Welcome, which is the safest, most secure legal immigration pathway in history... a comprehensive plan to... finally... meet the moment for our wartime allies.”
• Communications Challenge: Beyond policy, Afghan Evac ensured that information and resources actually reached at-risk Afghans. They created eligibility charts, pre-travel toolkits, and coordinated communication among disparate bureaucracies ([34:28]).

6. Trump’s Return & The Shuttering of Pathways

• Drastic Reversal: With Trump’s return in January 2025, all progress halted. Flights stopped; legal processes froze. Executive orders and a new travel ban targeted virtually all Afghan nationals—even family members of US service personnel ([37:27]–[40:11]).
  • Quote (Sean Vandiver, 37:27):
    “We went from 5,000 a month to zero. And it was because he signed some executive orders… So the entire pipeline, which was a steel reinforced hose of... people... to safety... all stopped.”
• Making Allies ‘Illegal’: Temporary Protected Status and humanitarian parole were cancelled, pushing even Afghans inside the US into ‘illegal’ status, now subject to deportation ([40:12]).
• After the D.C. Shooting: The shooting of two National Guard members by an Afghan evacuee triggered further clampdowns. Vandiver argues the pause on immigration/asylum was already in place, with the shooting used as a political excuse ([41:35]).

7. The Rahmanullah Lochinwal Case – Tragedy and Weaponization

• Case Summary: Lochinwal, former CIA-backed operative, brought to the US via evacuation, was involved in violence in D.C. in 2025. Despite extensive vetting, his decade of frontline combat (from age 15) left deep trauma ([43:43]).
  • Quote (Sean Vandiver, 45:29):
    “He was 15 years old when we handed him a gun... That would mess anyone up.”
• Moral Complexity: Vandiver sees a parallel in ignoring trauma among Afghan allies and US veterans alike—failure to fund treatment for those fighting America’s wars ([46:21]).
  • Quote:
    “It’s a tragedy that we don’t fund the back end of our wars the way we fund the front end… We should be investing in the treatment of our veterans. And... anybody who fights our wars for us.”

8. Implications for US Honor and National Security

• Country of Honor or Lies?: Vandiver insists that the US has a moral (and practical) obligation to keep faith with those who risked their lives for American interests.
  • Quote (Sean Vandiver, 49:44):
    “This is simply a matter of honor. When I joined the Navy, we talked a lot about honor, courage, and commitment... All the training was, we take care of our own... As soon as these Afghans... served alongside us, they became our brothers in arms and home became the United States of America. Because that’s what we told them... There’s a real danger in turning into liars.”
• Hard Power Consequences: Abandoning allies undermines future US military and diplomatic missions globally—why would anyone trust American promises again? ([47:54]).
  • Quote:
    “If people can’t trust us, then our enemies are going to get that support and we’re going to have more dead Americans, and we can’t have that.”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Being Let Down ([12:07])
  “Say you had a leg blown off... American veterans would be medically retired... Afghans just get fired and lose their jobs.” – Sean Vandiver
• On the SIV Application ([10:47])
  “The onus of maintaining paperwork was on the wartime allies... invites a lot of attempts at fraud. The system on the government side was built... that fraud is very hard to commit.”
• On Trump-era Policy ([16:47])
  “Many... believe that we shouldn’t have immigration at all to the United States... They took actions... to make it really, really hard for people to get here.”
• On the Withdrawal’s Chaos ([23:58])
  “They were depending on us, people a world away, to navigate checkpoints... It should have been so much more smooth, and it wasn’t.”
• On Afghan Evac’s Evolution ([27:05])
  “We pulled together these sync calls... started with seven groups and got to, like, 50 by the end of the month... We were able to start identifying trends.”
• On Allies Welcome Program ([33:58])
  “Enduring Welcome... represented a comprehensive end-to-end plan with redundancy for how to... finally... meet the moment for our wartime allies.”
• On Trump’s January 2025 Orders ([37:27])
  “We went from 5,000 a month to zero... So the entire pipeline, which was a steel reinforced hose... it all stopped.”
• On Lochinwal’s Trauma ([45:29])
  “He was 15 years old when we handed him a gun... That causes deep, deep emotional trauma... That would mess anyone up.”
• On Honor and Betrayal ([49:44])
  “I would say that this is simply a matter of honor... I think there’s a real danger in turning into liars...”

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [04:13] The introduction: What happened to Afghanistan’s US allies after the withdrawal
• [07:53] Sean’s background—personal story, how he got involved
• [10:47] How the SIV system was supposed to work (and why it failed)
• [12:36] Who were America’s Afghan allies, and what roles did they play
• [14:38] Effects of Trump’s Muslim Ban and policy on SIV/Refugee programs
• [16:47] Vandiver’s activism: Early efforts and media advocacy
• [21:14] The Doha Agreement: Why it ignored US wartime allies
• [23:58] Chaos during the US withdrawal & real-time rescue of “Lucky”
• [27:05] Formation of Afghan Evac and their methods
• [30:32] Working directly with Biden administration & policy wins
• [34:28] The communications challenge, outreach to Afghans
• [37:27] Trump’s 2025 reversal: Flights and legal migration frozen
• [41:35] The DC shooting, its political exploitation, and the real pre-existing policy freeze
• [43:43] Case study: Rahmanullah Lochinwal – trauma, violence, and the politics of one example
• [47:54] Consequences: How abandoning allies damages future US credibility
• [49:44] Honor as a soldier’s code vs. political betrayal

Conclusion: The Moral and Strategic Crossroads

The episode closes with Vandiver reminding listeners that, regardless of political ideology, betraying America’s Afghan allies is a matter of national honor and strategic interest. Abandoning them not only endangers America’s future on the global stage but also jeopardizes the lives of those who have already risked everything for the US cause. Vandiver’s journey—from troubled youth to Navy veteran to the leader of a global resettlement effort—serves as a poignant reflection on the meaning of the American dream, solidarity, and the heavy cost of broken promises.

For further resources and to follow Sean Vandiver and Afghan Evac, see links in the show notes.