Mahdi will share his journey crossing the gate as Afghanistan fell and the events leading up to it. He will also cover current events, what to believe and what not to believe as well as his process times and integration into first, the United States and now into Canada. He still has a brother stuck in Abu Dhabi that has been left behind from the NGO that brought him out. There is lots to cover and much to be still resolved. Jennel will share her own journey of desperation in finding ways to get Mahdi out of the country via Canadian Politicians, as well as her involvement with the evacuation of other Afghans and their procurement of special immigrant visas.
Speakers: Mahdi and Jennel Taheri
Mahdi and Jennel Taheri met six years ago through a high school friend who deployed four times to Afghanistan for the United States Military. It was through a friend of a friend on social media, that brought this unlikely pair together. Mahdi spent many years serving as a combat Interpreter and Cultural Linguist for the US Special Forces after serving 11 years in an Afghan Special Forces Unit referred to as Commandos for the Afghan National Army. After narrowly escaping the Taliban’s initial attempt to take over his hometown of Herat, Mahdi was able to secure a seat on the last flight out of his city for Kabul. Jennel worked in safety for the oil and gas industry for many years. She also owned a gym in a small town in BC. Mahdi and Jennel are now married, and he is in Canada having crossed the border on April 11th and learning to settle in life in northern BC with friends, family and a community that has pulled together to support him. Jennel is in the process of hiring on with BC ambulance as a paramedic and Mahdi will be opening a small engine repair shop once all his paperwork goes through.