Afghanistan and Afghan Refugees and SIV Seekers in the Aftermath of the US Withdrawal: Part 2 of 3

Part 2 of 3 of a Panel discussion following an Occidental College screening of Oscar-Nominated Director Matthew Heineman's powerful new film, Retrograde, that chronicles the final act of the US campaign in Afghanistan. Q&A hosted by Occidental College and the NMRG Rescue Project. The event was made possible by generous support from the Office of Occidental College President, Harry Elam, the Critical Theory & Social Justice and MAC Departments, The Young Initiative, and NMRG Rescue. Hosted by Occidental's own Prof. Malek Moazzam-Doulat, whose current work focuses on issues of refugees and migration, along with activism and advocacy for social and civil liberty issues affecting the Muslim and MENASA communities of Southern California. Panelists include: Baktash Ahadi: Executive Producer of Retrograde, survivor of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, Peace Corps veteran, and former combat interpreter and cultural advisor for the US military, Baktash is a tireless storyteller and advocate for conflict refugees and underrepresented communities. Thomas Kasza: Green Beret, combat veteran, and Executive Director of the NMRG Rescue Project, Tom strives to ensure that the US Government honors the promises made to the Afghans who volunteered to undertake the most dangerous job in Afghanistan; clearing IEDS for Green Berets. Haris Tarin: Chief of Staff of Operation Allies Welcome (OAW). The operation which was responsible for evacuating and resettling close to 90,000 Afghan Allies following the fall of Kabul in August of 2021. Prior to his service in government he was the Washington DC director of the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC). He is a co-founder and Board Member of the Afghan American Foundation. He writes writes on national security, Afghanistan, Islamist movements, civil rights/civil liberties and other topics for national publications and policy groups, and is an Ariane de Rothschild Cambridge Fellow and USC/Georgetown AMCLI Fellow. Michael Kaufman: A Senior Staff Attorney with the ACLU of Southern California, Michael specializes in immigration and asylum law, and has argued on behalf of unjustly incarcerated immigrants in front of the supreme court.