Utah’s first special immigrant visa holder from Afghanistan arrived at Salt Lake City International Airport late Wednesday evening.
The man has been identified by the Catholic Community Services as Azim Kakaie, an air traffic controller at Kabul Airport since 2010. During this time he worked with NATO and the US military, the agency said.
Welcome Azim!
Azim (center) is the first Afghan SIV to arrive in Utah after being taken over by the Taliban. Like thousands of other Afghan allies, Azim fled his country in fear for his life.
Learn more about how you can support Afghan refugees like Azim at https://t.co/x1tz7Ty8zC. pic.twitter.com/5eA9HIUoAJ
– Utah Catholic Community Service (@CCSUT) September 1, 2021
Kakaie was working at the airport the day the Taliban arrived in the capital and kept working while the chaos unfolded, said Kearstin Cantrell, director of marketing for the Utah Catholic Community.
The next day, air traffic control was handed over to the US military and Kakaie and his colleagues were evacuated shortly afterwards. However, his wife, mother-in-law and brother were still in Kabul.
“It was a really tough decision for him,” Cantrell told the Deseret News. “Either leave them and hope they can make it too and he can help them in the future, or try to get them and may not make it to the airport at all.”
Three days later, Kakaie’s wife, mother-in-law and brother were able to reach the airport and successfully evacuate them – just 30 minutes before a suicide attack on Kabul airport killed over 180 people, including 13 US soldiers, including a Marine from Utah.
Kakaie was first flown to Qatar, where Cantrell said he helped the State Department reunite families before traveling to Washington, DC. He arrived in Salt Lake City three days later.
Cantrell said Kakaie’s family flew safely to Germany, although they weren’t sure when they would be reunited.
Utah is expected to see several hundred recently evacuated refugees from Afghanistan in the coming weeks as the US State Department and Department of Homeland Security process a likely mountain of visa applications. Salt Lake City was recently named one of 19 cities where Afghan refugees can be relocated.
The State Department estimates that around 123,000 people, including 6,000 US citizens, have been evacuated from Kabul Airport.
“We expect more families to arrive in the next three to six weeks or so, so we are just preparing to welcome (them),” said Natalie El-Deiry, executive director of the International Rescue Committee in Salt Lake City.
“These people are fleeing for their lives,” said Aden Batar, director of migration and refugee services for the Utah Catholic Community. “These people we’re bringing here from Afghanistan are the people who stood side by side with the US forces that fought in Afghanistan. You risked your life to help our armed forces and made your job easier. “
Cantrell said Kakaie was tired but in a good mood.
“He’s tired of traveling and paperwork,” she said. “But he’s really, very hopeful.”
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