Timeline

Early August 2021 - Digital Dunkirk was formed as a result of the catastrophic evacuation during the American Withdrawal from Afghanistan. This volunteer-led coalition of veterans, active-duty service members, intelligence professionals, and civilians mobilized to guide Afghan allies - interpreters, families, and former mil/civ partners - through two Taliban controlled checkpoints and into the gates of Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan. Behind the pleas for help were sleepless nights and the unbearable weight of choosing who might be supported. Volunteers, many of them veterans, carried the emotional burden of watching trusted partners beg for a path to safety as hope dimmed, gates shut, and doors closed.

Late August 2021 - From Digital Dunkirk, TF Argo was formed by then-Iowa State Legislator and U.S. Air Force combat veteran Zach Nunn, former U.S. Army Special Operator combat veteran Jesse Jensen, and Munjeet Singh, an executive at a defense industrial base. As the final American plane departed Hamid Karzai International Airport, their team, which comprised of highly trained military and civilian volunteers, continued to receive urgent pleas from Afghan allies left behind. They continued to mobilize to answer those calls, coordinating safe passage and humanitarian support in defiance of impossible odds.

September/October 2021 - Over the course of two harrowing months, TF Argo moved 2,216 vetted Afghan allies and American Citizens through 14 Taliban controlled checkpoints from Kabul to Mazar-i-Sharif with the support of courageous partners on the ground. The team chartered seven evacuation flights to the United Arab Emirates, but only five were able to carry Afghan families to safety before operations were forced to halt by the de facto government in Afghanistan. These Afghan allies remained in the UAE until the U.S. embassy processed them for onward relocation to America.

2022 until January 24, 2025 - In coordination with coalition partners, TF Argo transitioned to Task Force Argo 501(c)(3) and worked alongside the U.S. State Department’s Coordinator for Afghan Relocation Efforts (CARE), an office established to support Afghan allies, U.S. citizens, and lawful permanent residents left behind after the Kabul evacuations. Task Force Argo stepped in to connect more than 7,000 Afghan allies to the State Department for relocation and resettlement in the United States.

January 21, 2025 - When the U.S. government ceased direct support for Afghan allies left stranded with a U.S. visa in hand, Task Force Argo once again stepped into the breach. In partnership with the Welcoming Initiative for Newcomers, the team began facilitating travel for Afghan families who held a valid U.S. visa, guiding them from third countries to safety in America. Coordinating through the State Department, DHS, and CBP, this effort evolved into the Afghan Allies Safe Arrival Initiative, a veteran and civilian-led movement to restore hope, reunite families, and uphold the promise of protection. With 4,140 requests for help, the coalition has supported 1,603 Afghan allies with U.S. visas in hand, and that number continues to increase daily.