You’ve probably never heard of Noorullah Aminyar. But in Afghanistan, he was both a wanted man—but for all the wrong reasons.
As Esquire notes, Aminyar was an Afghan Army captain, who commanded an elite unit that hunted down the Taliban—sort of in the non-nation-building way President Trump mentioned in his speech the other night. For this, he was basically sentenced to death by the terrorist organization, and his family was put in grave danger.
After traveling to the U.S. to train with our military, Aminyar unsuccessfully attempted to seek asylum in Canada and was detained by U.S. authorities. For years, Aminyar has fought for asylum, and his case was even heard in the Second Circuit Court of Appeals in New York City.
In recent years, the Taliban has regained strength and control over the country. And that has made it even more dangerous for Aminyar’s family, who have been living in hiding in the country since Aminyar was detained.
But there is a happy ending to this story: At his final hearing on Tuesday, he was granted asylum after three years of fighting for it. As Aminyar told Esquire‘s Brian Castner, the first thing he’s going to do is try to land a job, and then start the process of attempting to bring his wife and children over.
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