An Afghan translator who worked with U.S. troops told CNN’s Brianna Keilar on Monday morning that his family is allegedly stuck in Afghanistan and fearing for their lives.
Mike Sahak was able to immigrate to the U.S. but said his family is still trapped in the country and that he has had trouble reaching them in the past few days. Sahak said his family is “very much scared” and “in a state of shock.” He explained that when he asked them questions about food and shelter, they could answer some questions but not all of them. (RELATED: US Embassy Says There Are ‘Deeply Disturbing’ Reports Of Taliban Executing Afghan Troops, ‘Could Constitute War Crimes’)
Afghan translator who accompanied US troops on hundreds if not thousands of combat missions is desperate to save his family from the Taliban. They are in hiding, fearing for their lives. He is now a college student in the US and is still coming up empty as he tried to save them. pic.twitter.com/eTfAFNfrjy
— Brianna Keilar (@brikeilarcnn) August 16, 2021
“My family had to relocate quite a few times,” Sahak added. “I don’t really want to get into what city they’re living in … they had to burn pictures. They had to burn memories and everything.”
Almost every American team commander that Sahak worked with allegedly contacted him and offered help, he told Keilar.
“But I don’t have an answer to them how they can help,” he said. “I think it’s out of their hands. The best they can do is to write a letter of recommendation, but at this point that is not useful for people who are stuck, like my family that’s stuck in Afghanistan.”
“It’s up to the policymakers to be realistic about the situation and be very clear about what they’re going to do about thousands of translators and their families that are stuck in Afghanistan.”
Sahak called on the Biden administration to send more planes to evacuate people safely. He added that the families of translators are allegedly “in grave danger” and said it’s critical to get them to safety.
Amid the U.S. military’s withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Taliban breached the Afghan capital of Kabul early Sunday, taking control of the presidential palace, as previously reported.