The US Army Colonel is accused of murder for refusing to accept four busloads of Americans and friendly Afghans as well as 300 orphans last year during Afghanistan’s evacuation. This could lead to them all being sentenced to death.
This order came from an unnamed colonel on August 25, just a week before troops withdrew from Afghanistan as the Taliban tightened grip on the capital.
Tim Kennedy, a former MMA fighter and now soldier was one of those present at the scene.
He told a new Amazon Prime Video documentary called Send Me Tim Kennedy: ‘(We) asked if people holding up blue passports and SIVs could get through.
‘He answered: “No, I don’t care who they are, those people get back on those buses and they go back into Kabul. Get em off this base?”’
Kennedy said of the incident: ‘There’s not enough capacity in my soul to be able to mourn four busloads of people that are about to die because the time spend on anguish and mourning could have been spent saving other people.’
It happened after a team of exceptionally-experienced security level personnel were dispatched into Kabul to gather people approved to fly back to the US on chartered planes after President Biden announced plans to withdraw.
That sparked an almost-immediate capitulation to the Taliban by US-trained Afghan forces, as well as a sudden and chaotic scramble to fly refugees out from Kabul’s besieged airport.
Those collected by the buses included American citizens, green card holders, Afghans who’d helped the war effort and been granted Special Interest Visas, as well as Christians who faced persecution at the hands of the Taliban, and orphaned children.
Tim Kennedy, a former MMA fighter who became a soldier told his disgust at a US Army Colonel for kicking four busloads of refugees out Kabul Airport in August last year – even though the refugee transfers were approved by US authorities.
Photographs of the bus arriving at the airport just before their fateful departure are shown.
Chad Robichaux was part of the rescue operation and also branded Colonel who returned the refugees to their homeland a “murderer”.
The incident in question transpired on August 25, members of the groups said in the recently released documentary, outside the Kabul Airport, where days later a suicide blast by ISIS-K agents would leave 13 servicemen and 170 Afghans dead.
Realizing the pressing nature of the situation, fellow SoA founder Nick Palmisciano – a former infantry officer in the US Army – said he, Kennedy, and their other colleagues enlisted the buses to help streamline the evacuation.
According to him, his team felt particularly enthusiastic about this particular group of refugees because they believed that they were the best candidates for rescue.
‘We had orphans, 100 Christians, several high value individuals that were requested by govt entities. We also had the families of the crews that had been flying the charter airplanes.’
Despite being meticulously screened, the colonel refused to process them once they’d made it into the airport, and instead questioned whether the papers they’d presented guaranteeing their entry to the United States could have been faked.
Recalling the shocking moment the news was delivered, Kennedy said of the colonel’s inexplicable order: ‘He just makes the call – “Turn everybody around – put everybody back out, I don’t care who they are.’
The group – which included Kennedy, Palmisciano, Special Forces Officer Dave Johnson, and ex-recon Marine Chad Robichaux – had purchased the buses out of their own pockets, they said, and used them to pick up the various individuals across the war-torn country all through the night.
Robichaux said: ‘Whoever just made the decision to turn this bus around essentially just killed – just murdered – these people. Also, some of these children are among them.
“And some were women. But there are some Americans among these men, which we sent back to Taliban.
This drawing is taken from the documentary and gives an indication of how refugees were supposed to be handled once they arrived at Kabul Airport.
Pictured outside the airport is a Taliban rocket-toting fighter. Kennedy and other Americans believe the US colonel turned away the refugees and that they would have made easy prey to the terrorist group if left outside the secure and safe airport.
Ferrying Christians, families of Afghan evacuation pilots, and American passport holders, the buses had been commandeered by the ex-UFC fighter – who is also a former veteran – to aid in the hectic operation.
There were also 100 Afghan Christians in danger of being persecuted or having their documents verified by the Muslim Taliban.
Another 300 orphans were also taken into the program, along with high-value individuals (HVTs), that had been ordered by government bodies the group had been working closely.
Palmisciano, an infantry officer-turned Hollywood producer says that he had 300 orphans when he arrived at the location. This is in Send Me, which recounts his disagreement with the colonel. The filmmakers did not name him.
“We were able to accommodate about 100 Christians.” Then, we had several people of great value that government organizations wanted us to take up.
Palmisciano revealed that the bus also contained the “families” of crews who had flown the charter planes to evacuate thousands of Americans as well as allied Afghans.
Aided by 12 other friends and former servicemen who comprised the humanitarian group, retired MMA star Kennedy and other members would then fight for the innocents to be allowed through into a US military base – but were ultimately rebuffed.
This tense standoff saw the lives of hundreds of Afghan commandos, children and interpreters snuffed out. The full details are available in the upcoming Send Me, which recount’s the struggles of Kennedy’s team during the evacuation.
Days after the buses were turned away, Joe Biden ordered the last of the 13,000 or so soldiers stationed in the war-torn country to withdraw – likely leaving thousands behind to suffer at the hands of the notorious terrorist group.
Send Me was streaming last week on Amazon Prime. The show details the preparations for the event and describes one of the most significant civilian rescue efforts in history. In this instance, the colonel who is not identified, foiled the operation.
Photograph of refugees waiting for their flight at Kabul Airport in the midst last summer’s chaotic withdrawal
Kennedy (42 years old) recalled that buses are sent to many places in the city.
The ex-UFC middleweight said that “the most elite intelligence agencies worldwide have their people aboard these buses.” ‘Afghan Special Forces commandos, interpreters, Christians, orphans – all of these on these buses.’
Palmisciano said: “The men worked late into the night, and then they filled these buses with them.”
The convoy was once full of potential refugees and gathered at the Black Gate outside the airport. This location had previously been agreed upon as the rallying point for bus evacuations. It had also been arranged ahead with Marines stationed at that airport.
Johnson, a former special forces officer and ex-Westpoint graduate, recalled of the frantic evacuation effort: ‘In one last swoop we thought we could just get one big, big lump through. This was a great gate we made with Marines. Five of them are lined up at the Black Gate.
At the time, Palmisciano had been waiting at the airport with Sean Lee, the operations officer for Save Our Allies and a 22-year veteran of the U.S. Army, for the buses’ arrival.
Around 3 AM, they received a phone call from colleagues advising them about their buses’ arrival. The two couldn’t stop celebrating.
“I got a SAT” [satellite] call: ‘Hey – We got 300 orphans, 100 Christians, the HVTs, and the families of about half the crew through the gate.’
This is Kabul’s Airport. People tried to escape from the US, and occupied a secure US zone within the facility. Many of them were denied entry, even though they had permission.
Palmisciano recalls: “We danced the jig. Like, were like, you know, “F**k yeah.”
It was described by ex-infantrymen as one the most joyful moments of our entire expedition, which ran for more than a month and ended on the 31st of August.
Lee remembered how Nick and Lee high-fived at each other as they danced in the airport when he heard the news. It was clear that their actions saved lives for hundreds of American children, grandchildren, and US allies.
Kennedy said that he retired in 2016 from UFC after a 15 year MMA career. He explained that the UFC team became serious quickly because they realized they had to continue working with the US Army to help evacuatees.
‘We’re doing as much as we can as fast as we can,’ the former fighter recalled of his team’s efforts – which saw thousands of others rescued during the unrest.
‘We can’t make mistakes,’ Kennedy said. ‘We can’t let one person through that shouldn’t have gotten through. And so, we’re being thorough.’
The team began to converse with the government representative at the airport. This triggered several calls and chains of commands regarding the buses and their inhabitants.
Kennedy explained that this was when Kennedy described the arrival of the colonel. He wasn’t named, but belonged at least in part to the 82nd Airborne. As the seniorest officer, Kennedy said that the serviceman asserted his authority immediately.
An SoA member who goes under the pseudonym Seaspray recalled the encounter as follows: “There were colonels who came out. To show the world that he could decide whether somebody can get on a plane,
‘And he just makes the call,’ Kennedy then added, recalling the colonel’s words.
‘”Turn everybody around; put everybody back out – I don’t care who they are,”‘ Kennedy recounted.
Kennedy and his crew began to panic and make calls with the brass at de facto base. Officials noted that all the passengers on board the bus were verified and searched for their luggage, as well as their travel documents.
Seaspray said: ‘We had the appeal of, “These lists have been verified; they had been searched by US Marines; they weren’t carrying anything; their bags had already been gone through; they’ve been patted down; documents have been verified – we had all of that proof.’
The US military is pictured in Kabul Airport’s secure area last summer while refugees wait for charter flights to depart.
However, the colonel reportedly remained unconvinced – telling the team that he didn’t know if the documents and other criteria were ‘fake or not.’
The group tried to make sense of the situation and asked if the serviceman could be contacted. At the very least, do not pass through passengers. Pull out American citizens as well as green card holders.
‘And he’s like,’ Kennedy said: ‘”Nope – it’s my decision. It’s a command.”’
The fighter served as a sniper with the Army’s Green Berets in his early years of MMA and claimed that he was becoming increasingly frustrated with the colonel. He even accused him for making an illegal order.
‘Like, well, I’m not in the military,’ Kennedy, who started Save Our Allies along with Palmisciano and Colonel Sarah Verardo, said. ‘I’m not here for the military – and that’s not really a lawful order.’
Kennedy claimed that Kennedy continued to advocate the notion that documents – checked both by Kennedy and his team, as well as others from the US – were faked.
But Kennedy’s response this time was, ‘”Is it worth the risk of saying that it isn’t? If there’s a chance that these documents are real, are you willing to push Americans back off base?”’
Kennedy said, “And they were,” in an extract from Send Me.
Tim’s fellows suggested that Kennedy was a fake celebrity and that his behavior may have been influenced by the fact that he no longer serves in the military. Palmiscianor stated that Kennedy was a pseudo celebrity and didn’t seem to be taking the efforts of the group seriously. He viewed it more as an ex-athlete’s publicity stunt.
Palmiscianor said that Tim was his only friend.
‘He thought, “This is some f***in guy that’s just showing up in Afghanistan, running seven buses in, you know – f**k this guy, I want to kick him out.”’
Seaspray added that at one point during the face-off, he heard the colonel sarcastically remark, ‘This isn’t the Tim Kennedy show.’
Kennedy was angry about the treatment. It was people’s lives and their children that were at risk. However, even if the colonel was correct, it would have been costly.
Kennedy recalls that the people who had died for the country were those Kennedy described as bus passengers. Kennedy would later recount how they were eventually turned away from Kennedy’s office and not heard of again, despite the fact that several generals later overturned the colonel’s bizarre order.
Kennedy stated, “They lost all their limbs to us,” referring specifically to Afghans who were onboard and had helped the US defeat the Taliban. They lost their lives, youth, and innocence in the war against the Taliban.
He added: ‘Yes, they’re fighting for Afghanistan. Yes, they’re fighting for their people – but they are fighting with us. That’s who – that’s who we’re trying to save here.’
Palmisciano stated that it was the best load of people they had ever brought in.
The group would then begin to desperately plea with the officer, who refused to make any concessions to the group, including just accepting those with American passports or those related to American citizens – all while the passengers waited desperately outside the gate, off the bus.
However, the colonel refused to budge.
‘Everybody goes back on these buses and I want them escorted back off the base,’ he told Kennedy and the rest of the group. ‘Kick them out.’
Seaspray said: : ‘And at gunpoint, they pushed Americans, orphans, visa holders, back into buses, and forced them ack off base knowing that we were already rebaring and cementing the main gates closed, knowing that we’re going to leave soon, knowing that if you push those people back of the base, it was a high probability that they would not ever get on a plane.