Today we return to the anniversary of the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan.
The Biden ministrations says that it has accelerated efforts to try
and save Afghan interpreters, but many remain left behind. Here's
Nick Schifrin.
For two decades, Hundreds of thousands of Afghans worked with the
U. S government and military. Many remain in Afghanistan at risk
of being persecuted by the Taliban. They're eligible for special
immigrant visas, or s. I V s if they worked by or on behalf of the
U. S, for at least one year and face ongoing serious threats. The
U. S. Says 17,000. Afghans have submitted their applications, but
more than 74,000 are working their way through the process, the State
Department and advocacy groups
A including family members. The number is likely for times that in
a moment, I will speak to a veteran leading one of those advocacy
groups, but first the story of a former translator trapped in Afghanistan.
One year on before the fall before the Taliban came in, he begged
to come out. He and other interpreters for the U. S military protested
in Kabul in June 2021. They wanted the US to fulfill its promise
to evacuate Afghans who had served alongside U. S troops.
But many were left behind. One day after the Taliban takeover. He
burned the evidence of his service and wrote on Twitter breathing
My last days of life.
Some of our this interpreters made it to the airport. I tried to.
I went there, but it was too late. We spoke to him this week from
an undisclosed location in Afghanistan in our keeping them anonymous.
Back in 2011. He joined the US Army and interpreted for platoon commanders
in two different districts of Kandahar in southern Afghanistan, the
birthplace of the Taliban. It was one of the most dangerous because
of the I e. D s on my first mission When I went to the U. S forces,
the vehicle I was in was hit with an IED. It was something that I
can never forget.
If there was a mental shock, and it still is with me, What kind of
relationships did you develop with the soldiers that you worked alongside?
The interpreter was very crucial for everyone. Because if an interpreter
made a mistake, it could risk the whole platoon. The whole team.
I was very friendly with the put your leaders which I work with,
and they were friendly with me, so we used to be like brothers. He
says. He applied for an S. I V
He but was initially rejected after his commander who recommended
him develop PTSD and couldn't cope with helping him.
That left him vulnerable One year ago when tens of thousands of Afghans
rushed to the Kabul airport when he didn't make it past the gate.
He knew he and his family would be at risk. The Taliban had long
ago made that clear and tell me what happened to your father
side, The peace, my father and also myself and they're like, Oh,
you worked against us. You work with international troops with the
U. S forces. So you're a treasure to the country. You are now.
One Muslim When we tried escaping, they started shooting and I was
ahead of my father.
And unfortunately one of the bullets My father turned back. I heard
him yelling. The pain from the bullets
asked me to not to return just a script. I wish I was there. State
of penned
there took his life because of me.
Do you think that there's still a risk today to you and your family?
The threats is 100%. If they find out about me that they know about
me and my family, they will punish me for sure me and finally kill
me for my support to the U. S government.
So my message is clear. It's still time to save those who are left
behind before. It's too late. And I am now joined by Matt Zeller,
the co founder of No one left behind. He served in Ghazni province
as a soldier and is currently a major in the U. S. Army reserve.
He's also a former CIA officer and ran for Congress in New York as
a Democrat. Mandela welcome back
To the news hour. We just heard this man's story. We spoke to a half
dozen other interpreters who are still in Afghanistan, one of whom
switches his house every day for fear of safety. As you understand
it, What is the threat that these people face? Simply put? They're
going to be murdered. The Taliban was quite clear at Doha. They were
asked, Is there any room for reconciliation with those who currently
work for the Afghan Islamic republic's government, and they were
said, Yeah.
Anybody who works for the Islamic Republic government. We have no
problem with them. The folks, we have an issue with the interpreters,
those who worked alongside the American forces.
They declared them to be something called apostates, which, in their
perverted view of Islam means they have to be killed. There's a commandment
from God that requires them to do it.
And the evidence seems to suggest that thus far there being remarkably
successful at that. The association of Wartime Allies and the Iraq
and Afghan veterans of America, along with veterans for American
ideals, spent the last couple of weeks pulling the left behind Afghan
population along with the veterans who were involved in trying to
help Afghans get out.
Particularly over the last year, and what they learned was quite
shocking.
First off. They learned that 41% of the veterans involved now reports
some type of moral injury.
Well, why are they reporting moral injury? The reporting moral injury
Because the Afghans they're attempting to assist are still not making
it to the United States are still in danger are still being persecuted.
And some 40.9% of those Afghans in the last year have gone dark.
I asked the U. S government multiple officials about that idea that
so many Afghans have gone dark, perhaps lost their lives, and they
and officials tell me that that number seems awfully high to them.
Well, the American government was telling us for years that Rs ivy
estimates were wildly inaccurate. And then over the last couple of
months they issued a number of major culpas. And they said, is, it
turns out Kim Steph theory and her team at the Associated War Association
of Wartime allies have been on track all along that there are in
fact, some 78,000 s ivy potential applicants that were waiting as
of the 15th of August last year for evacuation that those vast majority
of them never made it onto the airplanes that they remain.
Left behind.
They now have finally copped that there could be some 300,000 s ivy
eligible people who remain including families, including family members.
Correct is the US today doing enough to try and get them out? No.
Simply put the TV program is not going to save these people at the
current rate of processing visas. It's going to take the government
18 years to get through the backlog. There's an ongoing famine even
if the Taliban aren't killing these people as as efficiently as I
believe they are to be the ongoing food insecurity and medical insecurity
in Afghanistan is going to get to these people eventually.
So there's only one solution left. I've now seen it. I know what
it's called. It's called the Uniting for Ukraine program. It works.
We've helped welcome over 100,000 Ukrainians Since April of this
year to this country and my heart, I'm I'm all for it. I think that's
great. But if we can do it for Ukrainians, why can't we do it for
our nation's longest wartime ally?
And so this is where only the president of United States can solve
this. He has the authority to execute it tonight right now.
U. S officials say there's some context to what they're dealing with,
and that is the situation that they inherited from the previous administration.
Let's take a listen to net brace, State Department spokesman
When this administration came into office in January of 2021, not
a single interview had been conducted in Kabul for an S ivy applicants
since March of the preceding year march of 2020. At least part of
that was a reflection.
Of the way in which the previous administration had not maintained
this program, how it had been allowed to atrophy allowed to atrophy.
Does he have a point?
The point that they should be concerned with is this. We left behind
the vast majority of the people that we were attempting to get out
and they're going to die. Veterans are hurting as a result of that.
I know only one way to address moral injury. It's through acts of
service. Its do good work. It's through, helping these people get
to safety and salvation.
The only way that these people are going to survive at this point
is a uniting for Afghanistan program. There is no other option.
I don't know what it's going to take to convince this president,
however, to get involved. He seems to be the one person that doesn't
seem to understand that he can actually solve this that it takes
his personal investment. He's the great healer in chief. Right veterans
are hurting. He could help us heal by helping these people get home
and just in a few seconds left you mentioned this. Not only is it
the threat from the Taliban, but it's also a humanitarian crisis
across the country very quickly.
How more difficult is it given that crisis today and it's nearly
impossible Afghan parents are at the point where they're selling
their Children to be able to feed their other Children.
That's hell on Earth. We shouldn't have ever been abandoned these
people to that We owe them to get them to safety and salvation.