WESTFIELD – State Sen. John Velis said he was shocked to see the situation that continues to unfold in Afghanistan as the U.S. withdrawal continued last week.

Velis’ comments came on Aug. 24, before an ISIS-K attack at the Kabul airport killed 13 U.S. military personnel and dozens of civilians. Velis, a U.S. Army Major who served in Afghanistan, said that he is also speaking as a state senator and a private citizen, and is not speaking for or representing the U.S. military.

“This past week has been gut-wrenching. Witnessing the Taliban at the Presidential Palace, at the U.S. Embassy – places where I sat just a few years ago – is truly shocking,” said Velis, “What is even worse though is thinking about the danger that so many Afghans face right now and the fear that so many citizens have.”

Velis said that he has friends who remain in Afghanistan who have been calling him while in hiding, saying that they fear retribution from the Taliban, who took control of Kabul earlier this month after sweeping across Afghanistan rapidly. During the course of the 20-year war, many Afghani citizens assisted the U.S. in various ways, often by being interpreters.

“We have all seen the images at Kabul Airport: Afghans running next to and even clinging to C-17s as they taxi to take off. These people are desperately trying to get out and it is utterly heartbreaking to watch,” said Velis.

The rapid advance of the Taliban was largely unexpected. Many of the cities taken by them were captured without a shot being fired, as U.S. troops left the country. President Joseph R. Biden committed to withdrawing all troops by Sept. 11, the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks that led to the war. Biden’s withdrawal plan was an extension of a plan conceived under the administration of former President Donald J. Trump.

Velis said that he believes it was time to leave Afghanistan, but that the withdrawal has been flawed.

“We pulled our military forces out before we ensured that all Americans and Afghan allies were out safely, and did so during the middle of the killing season in Afghanistan. This is a time when violent tensions are already at an all-time high,” said Velis, “This withdrawal process started months ago. There was no reason it had to be carried out in this way and right now we are seeing the repercussions.”

Velis also said that it was “utterly problematic” that the Afghan government was not brought to the negotiating table when the terms of the withdrawal were being drafted between the U.S. and the Taliban. That negotiation was conducted by the Trump administration in February 2020, led to 5,000 Taliban soldiers being released as part of the deal, and had set an original deadline of May 1, 2021.

Ultimately, Velis thinks that the focus should be to evacuate Americans and Afghan allies who remain in danger in the country.

“The reality is that they are still in danger, no matter what the Taliban says publicly. When I was in Afghanistan, there was a bounty of $50,000 on the heads of Afghan citizens who were assisting US forces,” said Velis, “That risk for Afghans has now only grown as US forces withdraw and the Taliban seeks retribution.”

He said he receives texts, emails and calls from linguists and interpreters that he had known in Afghanistan who fear even leaving their house.

“Just today I received a text from a close friend, Alix, who said “situation not good, Taliban came to house, searching for people.” These are very real risks that our allies are facing and this situation is far from over. These people aided us in our missions and kept us safe. We have a duty to stand by them and right now that means doing everything in our power to get them out of harm's way,” said Velis.

The rapid fall of the Afghan government and the return of the extremist Taliban government that was overthrown in 2001 has led to much self-reflection from those who served there in the course of the two decade war. Velis said that he knew that through all of the tragedy that took place over the last 20 years in Afghanistan, some real good was accomplished and positive impacts were made, even if it was only temporary.

“We helped to build up a real government and bring freedom to Afghan women and girls who had never experienced anything like that before. This week has been absolutely heartbreaking, but that will never take away from the tangible impact we made. Nothing impacts the fact that for 20 years, girls had a place to go to school and truly learn,” said Velis, “This past week has been disheartening on so many levels, but will never change the love I have for the people of Afghanistan and the men and women I served alongside.”

The situation in Afghanistan, particularly around the Kabul airport where the evacuations are taking place, remains incredibly fluid. At the time of writing, the U.S. Embassy had just warned Americans to leave the area around the airport due to a “credible and imminent threat” of another attack on the area.