Canadian vets helping their trusted counterpart in Afghanistan. The interpreters helping Canadian troops at the front have yet to hear from the Canadian government how they plan to eject them, as many are desperate to escape the Taliban resurgence.
The Taliban say they now control about 80 percent of Afghanistan. President Joe Biden announced earlier this year that US forces were completely evacuating the country on Aug. 31.
As the United States begins the process of evacuating nearly 2,500 translators and other support personnel to a military base in Virginia pending approval of their visas, Afghans helping Canada have not heard of any plans from Ottawa, and Taliban forces are approached.
Direct Threat
“They wanted to target the people who worked with the coalition forces – they called us “kafir” – which means infidels,” said Elyish, who says he worked for the Canadian forces in Afghanistan as an interpreter for a year.
“It’s very scary. We hear 24-hour fighting going on, and the gunshots…and air strikes inside the city.”
Elyish says he is in hiding and has been on the run for years. He moved his family several times to keep out of the Taliban’s hands. He says the Taliban is hunting him down for being a “traitor”. In addition, he said : “I’m under threat in Afghanistan, they’re not going to let me and my family leave.”
Elyish had a personal note for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. “As soon as possible, please take us out of this country, it’s so very horrible and very dangerous for us right now. We cannot go anywhere.”
However, the recent rescue mission that spirited Elyish and his family away to a safe house in another part of Afghanistan did not come from federal government, but from Canadian veterans reaching into their own pockets.
Therefore, Afghanistan veteran Corey Shelson, who is part of a group Canadian vets trying to use their own resources to help interpreters get to safer parts of the country. (continue reading)
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