Afghan commando who fought alongside U.S. Special Forces teams has escaped his homeland, but has no status as an illegal immigrant in a third country while hoping for U.S. policy change that would protect his life.
John Paluska meets his old friend Habib, a former Afghan commando in Istanbul. Paluska is working to get him a visa for the US. Habib is credited with saving Americans during the fight against the Taliban. in August 2021 marked the start of retired Green Beret John Paluska's fight to keep his Afghan brother in arms, Habib, from facing a gruesome death at the hands of the Taliban.
Paluska met Habib while the men were together at a forward operating base in eastern Afghanistan’s Ghazni province in 2013. Habib was an intelligence sergeant in an elite Afghan National Army Special Operations Command unit. Because of his strong English, Habib developed friendships with Paluska and other Green Berets.
Paluska arrived in Istanbul with hopes to find Habib a path to freedom. With no path forthcoming, he wanted to boost Habib’s morale after his friend spent two years living in hiding and making dangerous escape attempts to evade the Taliban., Paluska said he"thought of one person, and that was Habib. I knew that I had to go and save his life." He reached out to Habib, and began moving him closer to known evacuation zones.
It took Habib around eight months to recuperate from his ordeal and prepare for another run for safety. After Turkish forces shot and killed two members of his group of 25, Habib fled for home. He spent two more months preparing to make his next journey, using weather and intelligence about ground patrols’ locations to evade capture. Paluska was relieved to hear that Habib had arrived in Istanbul in May.
Paluska arrived in Istanbul in mid-July with a plan to find his friend legal protection through the U.S. Embassy. With generous donations from a nonprofit organization, the Paluska crowd-sourced donations to help outfit Habib with much-needed clothing and shoes. While in Istanbul, the friends also bought medicines, a backpack and a cellphone to help Habib keep in touch with his wife and four children while he awaits a permanent path to safety.
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