Rage Against The Machine‘s Tom Morello has written an open letter asking for help evacuating a number of girls out of Afghanistan following the Taliban’s takeover of the country.
As Billboard reports, Morello wrote the letter in support of his friend Lanny Cordola, who runs a music school for girls in Afghanistan through his non-profit Miraculous Love Kids.
Six years ago in Kabul, Cordola launched Girl With a Guitar, a program that has taught close to 200 students and recorded collaborations with Morello, Brian Wilson and Nick Cave, among others.
In his letter, Morello said the girls are in “grave danger”.
“[Girl With a Guitar] takes in street orphans and other girls that have endured significant trauma and uses music as a rehabilitation tool and means of working through their problems, their histories, and their hopes. I’ve had the honor of collaborating with these wonderful kids,” Morello wrote.
He continued by explaining that their school has been destroyed and the girls are in hiding since the Taliban’s takeover.
“They are at extreme risk because they are widely known to have performed Western music and have been educated by a male American teacher. Anything you could do to help save their lives would be much appreciated.”
Speaking to Billboard, Cordola, who is currently in Pakistan, said he is working to get 12 girls, their families and his driver out of Afghanistan.
“We’re trying to investigate if getting them to the Pakistan border is a possibility,” he said. “We’ve been talking to a lot of different people, rescue organisations. We need to get them out of Afghanistan to start a new life somewhere.”
Overnight, the US completed its withdrawal from Afghanistan, effectively ending its 20-year presence in the country.