Baltimore County woman gets to destination after war with Iran left her stranded in Middle East

A Baltimore County native who was stranded in the Middle East as the war with Iran intensified said she safely got out of there and made it to her ultimate destination.

Anjali Sharma, who had been in Doha, Qatar, traveled by car to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where she caught a flight to India for her cousin's wedding.   

"It's been a crazy 24 hours," Sharma said. "As I previously mentioned, I was in a really tough situation with my visa while trying to evacuate by road and had no clear course of action."

Sharma said she contacted Trump adviser Alex Bruesewitz, who connected her with the right people and provided a plan to get her safely across the border.

"His quick response and willingness to step in and help made a situation that felt impossible suddenly manageable, and I'm incredibly grateful that I was able to reconnect with my family and make it in time for the wedding," Sharma said.

Stranded in Qatar

Last week, Sharma said she traveled alone for her cousin's wedding in India. Sharma extended her layover in Qatar, spending 24 hours there to explore on February 28.

"I was participating in a safari desert tour," the Owings Mills native said. 

As the tour wrapped, she received multiple emergency alerts. Sharma said the tour group immediately left the area and started heading back to the hotel.

"I was actually near the U.S. air base when it began being attacked," Sharma said. "I looked up in the sky, and we saw so many missiles coming in."

Sharma said she heard explosions often outside her hotel in Doha.

"It's scary hearing an explosion outside at 2 in the morning," Sharma said.

Sharma searched for a way out

For days, Sharma tried to contact U.S. officials and enrolled in the Smart Traveler (STEP) program.

"The only update that I officially get every day at 9 a.m. is that the Qatar airspace is still closed," Sharma said. "Besides that, the only guidance that the U.S. Embassy and the U.S. government have given us is to enroll in the STEP Program, and they'll keep updating us. All STEP has told us is that we need to shelter in place and no evacuation or help is being sent by the U.S. government."

Sharma said she's heard other travelers are paying thousands of dollars to get to the Saudi Arabia airport.

"Which is 8 hours from here by car," Sharma said. "It's not an easy journey. There's no buses going. It's only private cars."

Sharma even took to social media, hoping to reach someone who can help her.

"I kind of gave up in the last day or two," she said. "I feel like a sitting duck."

As she waited, Sharma said her family kept her strong.

"I think I'm only on my phone the entire time because of the humor from my friends and just the care from everybody – family and friends – is getting me through this," she said.

U.S. help for stranded travelers

The U.S. State Department notes more than 17,500 American citizens have returned to the United States from the Middle East.

Many more Americans have left the Middle East to other countries in Europe and Asia, and others have safely departed the Middle East but are still in transit back to the United States.

Officials said through the State Department's 24/7 Task Force, we have assisted nearly 6,500 Americans abroad, including offering security guidance and travel assistance. They add the department will continue to assist American citizens abroad looking to leave the Middle East.

Americans in the Middle East who need assistance can call the U.S. Department of State 24/7 at +1-202-501-4444.