Tuesday was his third day staying in a friend’s vacant property. It is hot, and there is no power. The translator is using a car battery charger for lights at night and a source for his phone. His eldest son, 10, sleeps in jeans on a mat on a dusty floor. His 4-month-old baby is suffering a fever. He has five children total, and he fears for their safety.
This man is a former translator for a U.S. Army Major. He is hiding with his family in Kabul.
Known to this writer but requesting to remain anonymous, the translator worked for U.S. forces for 10 years. He has waited for more than two years to complete his Special Immigrant Visa application process. Documents provided by his attorney, Brett Sander, reveal the Afghan translator received a denial for his initial SIV application due to “lack of qualifying employment by or on behalf of the [U.S. government].” Sander began the appeal process and submitted a 42-page document in June 2019. His U.S. chief of mission approval has been pending ever since.
“If they [the United States forces] want to relocate my kids, if they want to relocate my small kid, it’s OK,” the translator said. “If they leave me behind here, I’m OK. They will kill me. Just, this is the last option. I am worried about my small kids. They are crying.”
The translator has reason to be fearful. His neighbors told him that armed men forcefully entered his home after he had left to hide with his friend. The fighters did not take anything, and the Afghan translator said it was clear that they were looking for him. His situation is mirrored throughout Kabul.
Another U.S. ally is also in hiding. He assisted in the prosecution of over 5,000 terrorists and has separated his family unit for protection. His eldest daughter is 11 years old. Like the former translator, the former legal consultant said he is afraid of his daughter and wife falling into the hands of the Taliban. “For people with the same background as mine, you cannot imagine how difficult it is to stay in Kabul now,” he said. “This is killing, really. To be honest, my mind is not working properly.”
The former legal consultant said he is looking for a way out of the country but so far has not heard anything from the State Department.
Elaine Mallon is a fellow at the National Journalism Center. She studies international relations and journalism at Michigan State University.
