In May 2026, Wahidullah Wahdat, an Afghan Special Mission Wing pilot and U.S. asylee, learned that his wife was killed in a gunfight in Kabul, leaving his children, all under 13, without parents in Afghanistan. Wahdat's situation has gained attention on social media, and benefactors from the Afghan American Development Group are working to ensure the safety of his children. However, without action from the State Department, the children cannot be reunited with their father.
Wahdat expressed concern for his children's emotional well-being, stating they are 'not in a good situation.' After graduating from Afghanistan’s National Military Academy, he began his aviation career and later joined the Special Mission Wing, where he accumulated 2,000 combat hours.
Following the Taliban's takeover of Kabul in August 2021, Wahdat spent three months in Tajikistan before being screened by American authorities and moved to a camp in Abu Dhabi for seven months. During this time, there was no effort to reunite him with his family.
Wahdat's family has been forced to change residences to avoid detection by the Taliban, making it difficult for his wife to care for their children. To support them financially, Wahdat has worked full-time jobs while pursuing additional training and driving for Lyft.
After arriving in the U.S. on humanitarian parole in June 2022, Wahdat received asylum nearly two years later, allowing his lawyer to petition for his family's asylum cases, which were approved in mid-2025. However, a Presidential Proclamation issued in December 2025 halted most travel for Afghan nationals, complicating efforts to reunite Wahdat with his family.
Currently, the only way for Wahdat to reunite with his children is through a National Interest Exemption, which requires approval from a consular authority. According to Shawn VanDiver, president of #AfghanEvac, there are no consular services in Afghanistan, and only two exemptions have been granted to infants. The State Department has not commented on the possibility of issuing National Interest Exemptions for U.S. allies and their families still in Afghanistan.
