Interpreter who helped rescue Biden in 2008 left behind in Afghanistan
An Afghan interpreter who helped rescue US President Joe Biden and his companions during a snowstorm in Afghanistan thirteen years ago has been left behind in the country as American troops completed the evacuation process.
According to The Wall Street Journal, Mohammed, who preferred not to use his full name for his safety, has been part of a small military Quick Reaction Force that was sent from Bagram airbase in 2008 to rescue then-Senator Biden and former Senators Chuck Hagel and John Kerry when their helicopters were forced to land in a remote mountainous area.
Now, Mohammed, his wife, and four children are hiding from the Taliban who have assumed power in Kabul.
“Hello Mr. President: Save me and my family,” he told the newspaper. “Don’t forget me here.”
Mohammed and his family are among countless Afghan citizens who worked for the United States during its 20-year military occupation of Afghanistan, but were left behind after their applications to emigrate to the US got tangled in the bureaucracy.
Meanwhile, White House press secretary Jen Psaki thanked the interpreter for his service during a press conference on Tuesday, saying the Biden administration is trying to save him.
"Our message to him is thank you for fighting by our side in the last 20 years," she told reporters.
"We will get you out. We will honor your service," Psaki added.
The US and its NATO allies launched a joint military operation two weeks ago to speedily evacuate foreign citizens and Afghan allies after the Taliban toppled the Kabul government.
However, General Kenneth McKenzie, commander of US Central Command, revealed on Monday that the US forces had failed to evacuate all foreign citizens, as well as the Afghan allies.
According to McKenzie, although some 123,000 people had been evacuated over the last weeks, the joint operation had failed in pulling out a few hundred foreign citizens and an unknown number of the local Afghan allies.
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