Afghan Interpreter Eludes 12 Taliban Checkpoints to Escape Into Pakistan, Travel On to US

They began to fall from the ceiling and needed a second for Najeebullah to realize what they were. U.S. Dollar Bill Coming from his head in the luggage claim area at Seattle Airport, Washington. Then he realized that his friends rained down him with cash, the traditional Afghan celebration.

The reunion for Najeebullah has long come. It began long before the United States withdrew from Afghanistan, leaving those who had a special immigrant visa scrambling to escape.

In 2003, Najeebullah, who was then 24 years old, began working as a translator of the U.S. Special Forces. For some of the most dangerous battles in the provinces of Nangarhar, Kunar, Kabul, Laghman, and Nuristan Afghanistan. Better known by his friends as Najeeb, he was nicknamed “The GPS Man” because he intuitively knew the field and how to avoid enemies.

Najeeb’s last name has been detained from this article to protect his family members who still live in Afghanistan.

The White House has launched the Afghan invasion in response to the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001, using air strikes and troops to try to eliminate the al-Qaida operating base in Afghanistan.

U.S. Congress Approved the Special Immigrant Visa Program (SIV) in 2009 for a former interpreter who was in the danger of retaliation for helping the U.S. Forces. This process is expected to take less than a year. But securing one of the very valuable visas can take several.

In the 2010 Najeeb recommendation paper from the commander, a former officer described “his courage” and writing, “I have trusted him with my life in battle.”

The third wrote about “his personal courage” and said it was “different honor” to work with Najeeb. The former officer, Colonel Stuart Farris, told Voa, “If there is one we will do anything, he is the person.”

Apart from the 10 shining recommendations distributed to VOA for the Najeebullah special immigrant visa, urged Siv’s approval “on the earliest occasion,” he never applied, assuming the United States and Afghan troops will defeat the Taliban.

In 2011, the Taliban kidnapped Najeeb’s 11 -year -old son, Khalid, and demanded a ransom of $ 150,000 from his father, who they considered a traitor. Najeeb left his translator’s work. His son was returned in saving 15 days later. Najeeb thought he had to prepare to leave Afghanistan to save his entire family, but for years he held out the hope that the situation would improve.

It changed in 2017. Najeeb said he decided to apply for a special immigrant visa when he realized that Afghanistan could not be rebuilt to give him the life he wanted for his family. But the most emotional victim has not yet arrived. In April 2021, his 25 -year -old son, Shaid, was left off from the Afghan Army and traveling to join his family while on vacation. The Taliban killed him.

Najeeb then lived in fear of his own life when the Taliban tortured him with the threat of mobile death, calling him “infidel” to work with America. VOA first reported his story in July 2021. Najeeb asked to use a fake name in the protection report.

He chose “Hajj,” a common name for those who have made religious Hajj. VOA also disguised her voice. Najeeb has traveled from city to city to escape from the Taliban and the threat of their death.