Afghan interpreter seeks Manitoba soldier's help fleeing Taliban-controlled country

WINNIPEG -

Interpreters who helped Western forces topple the Taliban want out now that the group has regained control of Afghanistan.

Some are turning directly to the soldiers they worked with for help. But guiding them to safety from abroad is proving difficult amid a chaotic and uncertain situation.

“The soldiers are being contacted and asked for help,” said Mike Lagace, a retired Canadian Armed Forces public affairs officer and father of a current member who served in Afghanistan.

Lagace’s son is now trying to help an interpreter he worked with and befriended leave the country.

“He’s only hoping that if he shows up in Kabul, if he shows up on the tarmac that they’re very aware of who he is,” Lagace said.

The man contacted Lagace’s son looking for assistance getting out of Afghanistan with his wife and children.

The interpreter told CTV News he wanted to stay to make Afghanistan a better place but now that the Taliban has taken control, he fears for his life and his family’s safety.

It’s a concern echoed by another former Afghan interpreter already living in Canada.

“Right now they are in a very strange and dangerous situation,” said Ajmal Sarwari, who worked as an interpreter at Kandahar Airfield from 2006 to 2012 before leaving Afghanistan for Canada.

Sarwari knows of interpreters who’ve travelled from Kandahar to Kabul to try and get on a flight to Canada.

He said many are worried if they’re identified by the Taliban before leaving, they could face retribution for helping Western forces.

“They are living in hotels and hiding in Kabul waiting for their evacuation but unfortunately the evacuation process is very slow and they are getting their emailed response in days,” Sarwari said. “I hope that evacuation process does speed up.”

Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan tweeted Monday a Royal Canadian Air Force flight left Kabul yesterday carrying 436 Canadians and Afghan nationals now on their way to Canada.

Sajjan said Canadian Armed Forces personnel on the ground in Kabul have the power to make operational decisions in the interest of saving lives.

Lagace said Canadian soldiers developed lifelong bonds with Afghan interpreters and want to help any way they can but aren’t sure where to turn.

“I mean it just came out of the blue,” Lagace said. “He got called, basically texted, about four in the morning.”

“We as Canadians are very lucky we don’t have to go through that, however, in this case here it’s life and death for these folks and they’re just truly trying to make their lives better.”

The interpreter who contacted Lagace’s son said his children are no longer going to school. The man said there are many Taliban checkpoints set up where he lives and he worries about leaving the house, making the prospect of getting to the airport daunting and potentially dangerous.

Canadian officials said Monday the military’s special forces are operating outside the confines of the Kabul airport to get people on flights.

Officials would not provide more details, but they said they are having success getting Afghans to safety.

-with files from the Canadian Press