VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - More than 100,000 people have been flown out of Afghanistan since August 14, including most of the 6,500 Americans living there.
"Right now, our main role is humanitarian efforts and evacuations. We have partnered with boots on the ground and are trying to coordinate commercial airlift," said Will Somerindyke, CEO of Regulus Global.
A decade old, Regulus Global, a Virginia Beach-based logistics company that works on national security missions across the globe, is playing a vital role in this ever-evolving mission.
"Everything is cut off in Kabul, no one wants to fly there, and there is a ton of complication trying to get in there and people to a plane and the plane out," said Somerindyke.
For weeks, the company and other partners have been working to coordinate flights to get people out of the country and into the U.S. safely.
"We we have a unique capability of getting things done worldwide," he said.
In a Friday morning teleconference, Gov. Ralph Northam updated the Commonwealth's effort. Northam said nearly everyone coming in from Afghanistan goes into Dulles airport, the main entry point, and said the refugees are all coming from Kuwait; Qatar; Germany; Spain and Bulgaria, where they are tested for COVID-19, and then can choose to be transferred to Quantico or Fort Pickett if they have housing needs.
"As of 7 a.m.,14,000 have arrived through Dulles airport. This is the largest airlift in history," said Northam.
Regulus Global says they will continue to help those wishing to flee to fly safely into the U.S. as the country and allies race to complete the airlift by August 31, the deadline for American withdrawal from Afghanistan.
"Things like this pull on our heartstrings a bit, and if we fell like we are adding value, we are staying in," said Somerindyke.
Related: Death toll from Kabul bombings now over 100 as evacuation flights resume
