I have a friend trying to leave Iraq. I met him on Answers.?

Question

He is a young Iraqi man. His family is all dead except 1 brother who is in the hospital from a bombing. :-( He has been working for the USA Army so he has internet access every day which is good. So we talk. He wants to leave. Does anyone know of any organizations that might help him leave?

Peace,
Laurie

He is not trying to come here. I think he has family in Syria or somewhere. He just wants to get out of Baghdad.

There is TOTALLY no "romance" stuff going on here. I would just like to help a person out of a very bad situation that I feel partially responsible for, being an American.

He did not say the Army job was his access, I just assumed. You know what happens when u do that!

Answer 1

Okay people, this is a complete edit of my previous answers because some people here are just not functioning as rational, intelligent human beings. Here are facts:

(1) There is no theater-wide restriction on terps preventing them from accessing personal internet. They just can't get on a SIPRNET or NIPRNET computer - which is PAINFULLY obvious - but there are local nationals running wireless networks on FOBs (our Brigade Commander and Brigade Command Sergeant Major were paying for the service, as was most of the FOB my last tour) and if terps get off the FOB? They can do whatever they want. Some terps actually commute, more or less - depends on the sort of contract they have with Titan. Some don't run with the infantry units constantly and risk getting shot all the time (i.e. they have cushy jobs).

(2) You're talking "security" people - but terps have personal cellphones on FOBs. Now it might be different on YOUR particular installation for whatever reason, but during MY two tours on every FOB or COB I've been on, terps have had personal cellphones. You can't tell me "Oh no terp would EVER get on a computer and goto a chatroom, it's not secure" when they have cellphones, and they can, alongside people like Titan employees (many of them non-American), Turkish military, KBR employees and such, get on internet cafes run by unit Commo shops. Whenever I got off a patrol and put my M4 and M14 down to send an email off, it was not uncommon for me to sit besides a Turkish Air Force NCO and a terp. So don't try to bring this security bullshit up. Who do you think does all the translating for S-2 sections anyways? Who do you think is out there translating for infantry units when they're out there getting intel? What, terps stare at HVT lists every day all across Iraq and you're worried about what they say in chatrooms? Are you all that stupid?

(3) This Iraqi in question is not asking the Questioner to sponsor him for asylum or marry him. Hell, all he has to do is get to the States somehow and apply for asylum and he'll get it (which is crazy, because he'll never get it as long as he's in Iraq, but the moment he lands in the States he'll get it) ... and the USCIS regulations for terps getting Permanent Residency are a joke. I had to write the senior Senator from my home state to get the packet. The packet is insane. You people should be grateful for your citizenship.

(4) "Oh he would never be on a chatroom, he would be too busy" or "Oh he would never discuss anything with anyone on the net, the people he works with would take care of him" ... you people are CRAZY. Terps have a schedule just like everyone else (and no, I am not saying how many were attached to my platoon and how often they went outside the wire) ... our terps loved XBox, satellite TV, and shooting pool. We worked them down to the bone, but they had time to screw off. And not all terps were universally loved either. Terps can end up with bad platoons. Terps can end up hated, terps can end up ostracized (i.e. repeatedly treated just like any other "Hajji") and that happens all the time.

So get a reality check, people. Don't quote any of this secret squirrel bullshit about wiretaps and security when you don't have anything to back it up. "Oh he's a terrorist" or "He's a gold-digging schemer" ... you're treating the Questioner like she's a retard, people. Did she say she'd marry him? NO. Did she say she was flying over to Iraq to rescue him? NO. Stop assuming bullshit.

And if you think I haven't been over there and I haven't seen all this close up? You're dead wrong. And I've been on BOTH sides of the wire. I've done LNE. I got the USAF card that said I'm qualified for LNE for one year (boring one day class, and NO I AM NOT USAF). I've dealt with IA, IP, local contractors, terps, day laborers, all kinds. You can't try to feed me this bullshit about security that doesn't exist. You can't feed me this bullshit about this guy being a fraud, etc etc right off the bat either. You know what? YOU DON'T KNOW.

So on the off chance he's actually legit, LET THE QUESTIONER GUIDE HIM IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. Either he can get the USCIS packet (and good luck going through JAG) and have a General Officer sign off on it (yeah right), he can run to the Kurdish zone in Erbil, Sulemaniyah, or Dohuk and get away from most of the carnage, or he can goto Jordan (rather than Syria) and join the thousands of Iraqi refugees already there.

Any which way, you don't need to go "Oh there's no way that would happen" and tell the Questioner to shut him down because there's no telling who is on the internet, etc etc etc. Well people, you know what? Refer to my earlier comments about NOT treating the Questioner like a retard, okay?

And if you can't get it by now, then you're a lost cause.

Answer 2

Oh so you love your terp, well good for you! I spent 14 months kicking in doors In the Adamiyah Section of Baghdad. During this time I had atleast 30 "terps". Some were cowards and would run, some were good, and some we had to arrest for setting us up.

Bro, I respect what youre saying, because obviously like me have earned the right to speak about Iraq. I disagree with you though about bringing them to the United States. It is your right to help your terp, but good luck on the 0-7 signature.

Moving along quickly, When you fly to the United States (from any country). They will not let you board the plane unless you have one of two things. One thing is a U.S. Passport. Or the second is a valid U.S. Visa. And they check everytime, so I know he could in theory get assylum, well Im happy he isn't.

And on to the S-2 terps, some of them are U.S. citizens, granted they can barely speak english and make 300k a year. (last year they were driving a taxi in nyc). But most of the time the things they will give a terp is like one piece of a document, and then the s2 puts it back together again. That is if they are a foriegn national. They let the cleared Americans read whatever most of the time.

About this unsung interpreter hero **** you are spitting, DUDE THEY GET PAID!!!!!!!!!!!! Granted Titan (which no longer has the contract).Does treat them like crap, but the army isnt such a nice employer all the time ethier. Life isnt perfect, and especially in Iraq get over it.I hope you get your Hadji in the states, I hope he adapts and becomes a good American. I just think you forgot bro who youre fighting for.

I think we should limit immigration from the middle east period. But hey who am I to say that, more importantly what is your MOS? Mine is Infantry I hope you arent a FOBBITT talking this ****.


Ferg

Answer 3

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but he's lying.

I'm just lending my voice to what another poster already said because they are 100% correct.... An Iraqi working for the U.S. Army does NOT have internet access through the army.

He's too busy working to be on a chat room (if he was able to access the internet).

I would also question why he is turning to someone on the internet when he is surrounded by Americans? The translators come to form good relationships with the soldiers they work with, so it's quite strange that he would seek the advice of a stranger when he has "real life" American friends he can ask.

Be careful.

Answer 4

Any Iraqi national working for the US Army should NOT have access to the internet. And IF they do for work purposes (translators, liaisons, etc), that access should be strictly monitored. In no way should he be on Yahoo (or any other chat program) trying to find a way out of the country.

And Laurie, be careful. I have a great many friends that are Iraqi nationals that I met while working over there and I trust them with my life. But not all Iraqi people are to be so trusted. Use caution.

Answer 5

No Iraqi national is going to be given Internet access by the US military.

Sounds like he is trying to pull something over on you.

Answer 6

What job does he do for the army? Iraqi translators can become US citizens, have his chain of command call their JAG attorney to find out if this guy applies.

Answer 7

He is a terrorist and you are a naive and STUPID American woman who is being taken advantage of. Think about it like this. Did this "man" contact you, or did you contact "him"?

I am a poor, armless legless doctor in Rubekistan in the former Soviet Union. Please help me, beautiful American woman! I want to leave but can't because I can't walk and sign my name! If I was in America, I would save a lot of lives by working in the ER and I would later bring you fame and fortune.

Sounds familiar I bet. Just leave it alone, stop talking to him, you'll regret it down the line if you continue speaking with him. Just remember when you're being arrested for terrorism, "Jeremy" told you so back on 3/27/2007!

I hope that this opens your eyes and makes you think again about the alleged Iraqi's who try and contact women on yahoo answers.

Answer 8

You aren't going to like my answer. My son is stationed in Iraq, and most of the men that contact women on the net, want to get into our country, but can't because of immigration laws. He only is using you as a vehical to get here, don't be fooled, he doesn't care about you at all...they all have sweet words and know how to play the game....don't fall for it, you will be very sorry in the end

Answer 9

How do you know he isn't part of a sleeper cell, here in the US????
Could just be a sham, like the Nigerian Barrister that is going to give you a Million dollars from a dead relative.....

I for one, would break off any contact with this individual...NOW.
The NSA, FBI may be monitoring him and that would bring you into suspicion...Don't be so Naive..

Answer 10

Try the Red Crescent or the Syrian embassey.