{"id":1606141,"date":"2022-08-15T07:46:15","date_gmt":"2022-08-15T11:46:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1606141"},"modified":"2022-08-15T07:46:29","modified_gmt":"2022-08-15T11:46:29","slug":"desperate-to-save-his-family-one-former-u-s-combat-interpreter-makes-dire-return-to-a-fallen-afghanistan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/desperate-to-save-his-family-one-former-u-s-combat-interpreter-makes-dire-return-to-a-fallen-afghanistan\/","title":{"rendered":"Desperate To Save His Family, One Former U.S. Combat Interpreter Makes Dire Return To A Fallen Afghanistan"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">34<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fdesperate-to-save-his-family-one-former-u-s-combat-interpreter-makes-dire-return-to-a-fallen-afghanistan%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1606141&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Since the aftermath of the disastrous U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan one year ago this week, the Taliban has been\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/opinion\/state-department-kowtows-to-taliban-evacuation-ban-on-us-allies\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">culling their enemies<\/a>\u00a0from among a populace afflicted by ever-increasing\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/opinion\/afghanistan-undercover-documentary-provides-expose-of-taliban-lies-and-misogyny\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">misogynistic oppression<\/a>,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/opinion\/afghanistan-faces-a-hunger-crisis-these-organizations-are-ready-to-help\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">starvation<\/a>, and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/opinion\/former-afghan-government-personnel-struggle-to-find-aid-and-employment\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">joblessness<\/a>. The Biden administration seems to have no plan to get any of the tens of thousands of Afghans who worked with the U.S. military out, and the Pentagon has suggested it\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/W7VOA\/status\/1428076253211504641?s=20\">might not be able to do so<\/a>. From his home in California, one U.S. citizen and former combat interpreter, \u201cKhan,\u201d has been leading a bitter fight to keep his family safe in a fallen Afghanistan. <\/p>\n<p>In a series of phone interviews between February and June 2022, he told me about fielding daily calls about Taliban death threats while coordinating and financing his family\u2019s covert movements between half a dozen safe houses. Khan said the mentally taxing work of keeping his family alive forced him to stop taking college classes. Despite working long shifts as a security guard and driving for Uber, Khan could not afford the increasing costs of rent and food for his family in Afghanistan while providing for his wife and children in the U.S.<\/p>\n<p>The fall of Afghanistan was particularly dangerous for Khan\u2019s father, a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/opinion\/afghan-linguist-turned-us-citizen-fights-for-family-left-behind\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">colonel in Afghanistan\u2019s intelligence directorate<\/a>. Many at-risk U.S. allies or former government personnel have tried to flee to Pakistan for safety. Some of Khan\u2019s father\u2019s intelligence colleagues who sought refuge in Peshawar and Quetta had disappeared, never to be heard from again. <\/p>\n<p>Being confined to a small apartment space and awaiting a knock from the Taliban rendered Khan\u2019s father unrecognizable from the powerhouse of a man who helped repel a triple suicide bombing attack on his office in 2017. In eight months, he gained more than 30 pounds as he developed diabetes and high blood pressure. During their daily phone calls, Khan noticed his father looked like \u201ca guy that just came out from [living in] the jungle.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Though Khan had asked the State Department to evacuate his parents and four siblings, after eight months, there had been no attempt to remove them from a country where they were at daily risk. With fundraising help from the Marines he worked beside, Khan had also filed humanitarian parole visa applications for each of his family members. <\/p>\n<p>As of June, more than\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/afghan-refugees-rejected-us-entry-humanitarian-grounds\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">46,000 Afghans<\/a>\u00a0had applied for humanitarian parole to escape the brutality and oppression of the Taliban. Only 4,543 of those applications have been processed. Around 93 percent of applications were denied. Thus far, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has taken in more than $26,450,000 in nonrefundable $575 per-applicant filing fees from Afghan applicants, while\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/restoring-america\/equality-not-elitism\/biden-administration-fails-to-respond-on-ukraine-afghan-refugee-double-standards\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">refunding filing fees<\/a>\u00a0to Ukrainian refugees utilizing the Uniting for Ukraine refugee program.<\/p>\n<p>When Khan applied to the special immigrant visa program in 2013, a host of military officers praised his incredible loyalty and selfless devotion. Those same ideals motivated Khan to purchase a plane ticket to Afghanistan in April 2022. Though the risk was great, he said he felt there were \u201cno other options\u201d as his father\u2019s mental state continued to decline.<\/p>\n<p>The full impact of his choice hit Khan when he arrived at Hamid Karzai International Airport on April 15. Khan is known to the Taliban. Twice, he was shot while assisting U.S. forces, including while working with U.S. Marines serving in the deadly Marjah district during the 2010 troop surge. Khan was present at Marjah\u2019s Patrol Base Dakota on Nov. 21, 2010 when a Taliban grenade whipped past his head and landed on a rooftop manned by two Marines. Khan witnessed Lance Cpl. Kyle Carpenter leap atop the explosive device to save his best friend from its impact. In the tumult that followed, Khan picked up a weapon and began to engage the enemy fighters. His subsequent testimony about the day\u2019s events would help inform the decision to award Carpenter the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cmohs.org\/recipients\/william-k-carpenter\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Congressional Medal of Honor<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Two years later, a suicide bombing left Khan comatose. For two months, he was unable to see. He began to walk again after six months of recovery. Today, the physical marks from the bombing remain. \u201cGoing through those airports with all those scars \u2026 was not easy stuff,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Once on the streets of Afghanistan, Khan was dismayed to notice the changes to his homeland. The Afghans he spoke with told tragic tales of family members killed by the Taliban. Household goods lined the streets as hungry families sold their belongings in a last-ditch effort to evade starvation. One of Khan\u2019s neighbors sought a buyer for their infant daughter, hoping\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/opinion\/after-taliban-takeover-afghan-girls-lose-childhood-freedom-and-future\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">like many families<\/a>\u00a0to use the proceeds to purchase food. Though it was only a temporary solution, Khan gave them $300 \u2013 the last money in his wallet and checking account.<\/p>\n<p>For more than a month, Khan remained in his family\u2019s apartment while corresponding with the State Department to obtain evacuation for his family members. He only left the small space to obtain his father\u2019s marriage certificate in Jalalabad. Though many friends invited him to share a meal, Khan declined every invitation. Because Taliban spies abound, it is hard to \u201cknow who to trust right now,\u201d Khan said.<\/p>\n<p>Finally, in mid-May, State Department officials offered to evacuate Khan and his immediate family members. This meant Khan\u2019s parents were eligible for evacuation, but his siblings, including a 12-year-old brother, would have to remain in Afghanistan. After a difficult and emotional discussion, Khan convinced his parents to take the flight to safety by reassuring them that they could one day achieve legal permanent residence and petition for immigrant visas for their children, per the State Department\u2019s suggestion.<\/p>\n<p>The importance of escape was amplified on the journey to the airport. To avoid being identified at Taliban checkpoints that litter the country, the family veered past onto dusty back roads. Taliban fighters fired shots at their car as they careened through the unpaved streets.<\/p>\n<p>When Khan and his family arrived at Camp As Sayliyah in Doha, Qatar, relief was not immediate. His parents joined hordes of Afghans stuck in the camp\u2019s haphazard disorganization as they underwent eight weeks of processing prior to transport to the U.S. More than the disorder, Khan was infuriated about the disrespect with which State Department contractors treated Afghans. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey are not even behaving like human beings with [people],\u201d Khan told me. Before he left for the U.S, Khan said he reminded a U.S. military officer that many of the Afghans at Camp As Sayliyah had fought with the U.S. for more than a decade, and they deserved respect.<\/p>\n<p>In passing weeks, Khan\u2019s father reports that chaos at the camp continues, but that attitudes among contractors have improved. Without the stresses of life in Afghanistan, Khan\u2019s father is also returning to his previous habits. He now walks 15 miles a day, mostly during the evening reprieve from the blazing sun. \u201cHe says he feels very light when he is walking,\u201d Khan explained.<\/p>\n<p>For Khan, stresses continue to mount. He must soon move from a two-bedroom to a three-bedroom apartment to accommodate his parents, wife, and four children. Because he exhausted his savings, Khan has already borrowed hundreds of dollars from friends to make ends meet.<\/p>\n<p>In Afghanistan, Khan\u2019s 12-year-old brother still struggles with a sense of abandonment. Fielding his tearful calls reminds Khan of his continued duty to help his siblings find safety. Khan\u2019s hope for fulfilling that promise rests on rumors of\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/immigration-us-expands-eligibility-afghans-others-seeking-entry-humanitarian-grounds\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">expanding eligibility<\/a>\u00a0for Afghans who have applied to the beleaguered humanitarian parole visa program. For those who have witnessed the Biden administration\u2019s bungling of efforts to assist an estimated\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/restoring-america\/courage-strength-optimism\/departures-from-afghanistan-resume-but-pace-is-worrisome-for-allies-and-afghans\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">160,000 stranded Afghans<\/a>\u00a0after the withdrawal, the promise seems hollow.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-comments mt-30 mt-sm-60\">\n<div class=\"article-comments-container d-flex flex-column align-items-center py-30\">\n    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"110\" height=\"106\" src=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/fdrlst-mark.svg\" class=\"img-fluid mb-20\" alt=\"The Federalist logo eagle mark\" \/>    <\/p>\n<p>Unlock commenting by joining the Federalist Community.<\/p>\n<p>    <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/plans\/pricing\/\" class=\"btn btn-on-white\">Subscribe<\/a>  <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Since the aftermath of the disastrous U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan one year ago this week, the Taliban has been\u00a0culling their enemies\u00a0from among a populace afflicted by ever-increasing\u00a0misogynistic oppression,\u00a0starvation, and\u00a0joblessness. The<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1252,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1606141","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1606141","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1252"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1606141"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1606141\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1606141"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1606141"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1606141"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}