Military translator, 30, who helped US soldiers in Afghanistan is beheaded by the Taliban - Daily Mail

Military translator, 30, who helped US soldiers in Afghanistan is beheaded by the Taliban sparking new alarm for the interpreters left as the West withdraws

• Sohail Pardis is reported to have been beheaded by extremists in Kabul attack
• Mr Pardis, 30, father of a nine-year-old daughter, had worked as an interpreter 
• He had applied to be relocated to America but was rejected and case dismissed
• On Thursday, the US House passed bill to allow 8,000 Afghan translators to process their visas quicker so they can escape the Taliban and get to the US
• Bill provides additional special immigrant visas for Afghan interpreters and their families, and removes several bureaucratic hurdles from the application process 
• It comes after the Biden administration announced it would evacuate roughly 2,500 interpreters and relatives to Fort Lee military base in Virginia later in July 
• Hundreds of other Afghan translators who had their contracts terminated for what they say was as unjust cause are not eligible for the visas

By David Williams and Mark Nicol For The Daily Mail and James Gordon For Dailymail.com

Published: 22:02 BST, 23 July 2021 | Updated: 01:29 BST, 24 July 2021

The killing of a former military translator by the Taliban has sparked new alarm among interpreters fearing attacks as Western forces pull out of Afghanistan.

Sohail Pardis is reported to have been beheaded by extremists after he was attacked outside Kabul. 

His family said he was dragged from his vehicle after being shot as he tried to escape a Taliban checkpoint on a road in Khost.

Villagers who witnessed the horrific incident are said to have explained to the Red Crescent how Taliban shot his car before it swerved and stopped.

 Witnesses said Pardis was dragged out of his car to be beaten, shot and beheaded.

Sohail Pardis is reported to have been beheaded by extremists after he was attacked outside Kabul

Pardis, 30, seen here was father to a nine-year-old daughter and had worked as an interpreter

Mr Pardis, 30, the father of a nine-year-old daughter, had worked as an interpreter for US forces for 16 months and had applied to be relocated on security grounds to America.

He was rejected because he had been dismissed having been terminated in 2012 after failing a routine polygraph, or lie detector, test. He was never told why he failed the polygraph.

The screenings were conducted through a contracted company. Hundreds of translators who failed the tests say they had issues with the questions asked and did not believe them to be reliable. 

They claim their contracts  were terminated for what they say was unjust cause. The US government has also said it will not be reviewing the cases. 

The body of Pardis is seen here in this image shared by one of his fellow translator colleagues 

A US Embassy spokesperson in Kabul said they were are 'actively working on every possible contingency to make sure that we can help those who have helped us.'

'We have long said we are committed to supporting those who have helped US military and other government personnel perform their duties, often at great personal risk to themselves and their families.

'To be clear, our embassy in Kabul will continue to operate after our forces draw down. SIV processing will continue, including for those individuals who remain in Afghanistan, and we will continue to surge resources to process applications to the fullest extent possible,' a spokesperson said.

Pardis was looking for a way out of Afghanistan but was not able to qualify for the Special Immigrant Visa because of his termination. 

In a statement issued in June, the Taliban had said it would not harm those who worked alongside foreign forces. 

Pardis is seen captured on video dancing at en event where soldiers were present 

Pardis' brother places a rock on the fallen translator's grave

Pardis' body lies on a baron hillside in Afghanistan in what is a makeshift gave 

Pardis' brother says prayers at the gravesite noting the unsafe situation in the country. 'I'm so worried about the safety of my family. There's not much work in this country, and the security situation is very bad,' he said to CNN

'They were telling him you are a spy for the Americans, you are the eyes of the Americans and you are infidel, and we will kill you and your family,' his friend and co-worker Abdulhaq Ayoubi

Ayoubi, also a former translator, is devastated by the loss of his friend and co-worker as has a plea for the U.S. President. 'We kindly request President Biden to save us. We helped you and you have to help us.'

Days before his death, Pardis told a friend he had been receiving death threats from the Taliban, who upon discovering he worked as a translator for the U.S. Army for 16 months, accused him of being a traitor and  a spy.  

'They were telling him you are a spy for the Americans, you are the eyes of the Americans and you are infidel, and we will kill you and your family,' his friend and co-worker Abdulhaq Ayoubi told CNN. 

Pardis' little girl is now being looked after by his brother, Najibulla Sahak.

The family, have had to leave the Afghan capital, Kabul, fearing for their safety and the possibility they could be targeted next. 

'I'm so worried about the safety of my family. There's not much work in this country, and the security situation is very bad,' he said.

Several former interpreters for UK and US forces have reported being attacked by the Taliban in recent months. Pictured, former Afghan interpreters, who worked with US troops in Afghanistan, hold signs during a demonstration about their safety,

Around 300 Afghan translators are believed to have been murdered since 2014, according to nonprofit No One Left Behind (pictured: former Afghan interpreters who worked with US troops demonstrate in front of the embassy in Kabul on June 25)

At least seven ex-Coalition translators have been killed this year, taking the total since 2014 to more than 350. 

Several former interpreters have reported being attacked by the Taliban in recent months – one had a bomb placed under his car, another was caught in an ambush by six gunmen.

Britain and America have rejected dozens of cases of translators whose jobs were terminated, with many still to be decided amid warnings that an emboldened Taliban seeking revenge will hunt down and murder those left behind.

Reports of Mr Pardis's brutal death come days after a video emerged allegedly showing the execution of 22 Afghan commandos who surrendered to the Taliban.

The House passed the legislation, dubbed the Allies Act of 2021, with a decisive 407-16 vote

In the United States, on Thursday, the House almost unanimously agreed to streamline the visa process for thousands of Afghan translators who aided US troops over its 20-year occupation of their country, easing the path to evacuate for many as Taliban insurgents gain ground at an alarming pace.

Lawmakers passed the bipartisan Allies Act of 2021 in a decisive 407-16 vote.

Five Democrats and three Republicans abstained, and 16 'no' votes came entirely from the House GOP.

The Allies Act aims to streamline the process for the Afghan nationals in ways that include increasing the number of special immigrant visas (SIVs) available by 8,000, reducing the amount of duplicative paperwork required and waiving the requirement to demonstrate an imminent threat to their safety - given the overarching situation. 

House Judiciary Chair Jerry Nadler opened the discussions on the bill Thursday

The legislation comes as the US military approaches Joe Biden's September 11 deadline for a full withdrawal two decades after the US embarked on its longest war.

As US troops depart, the threat faced by some 18,000 Afghan translators and their 53,000 family members left behind skyrockets as the Taliban takes more territory in the embattled region.   

But for the Afghans who have been rejected, it feels as though America has abandoned them. 

Ayoubi, Pardis' friend and co-worker, also failed a polygraph test and was terminated, even though he received a medal for helping to save the life of an American sergeant who stepped on a bomb. He feels as though he was let go unfairly. 

'I thought we would have a beautiful Afghanistan. We never thought of this situation like now,' he said.

US Army Officers are helped by their interpreters as they speak to an elderly villager during an operatio in October 2009. (File photo)

'We kindly request President Biden to save us. We helped you and you have to help us.'

Earlier in July, Biden pledged to evacuate Afghan interpreters and their families who had worked alongside American troops in Afghanistan.

'Our message to those women and men is clear: There is a home for you in the United States, if you so choose and we will stand with you, just as you stood with us,' Biden said.

'Each day as we continue to draw down our presence in Afghanistan, threats to the lives of those who supported our cause are increasing exponentially,' House Judiciary chair Rep. Jerry Nadler, who co-sponsored the bill, warned on the House floor Thursday.

Texas Republican Rep. Michael McCaul said the Afghan interpreters who aided US troops now have 'a bullseye on their back'

While the Biden administration announced it would begin evacuating a small group of 2,500 translators and relatives who have applied for SIVs to the US at the end of July, the New York Democrat said that was 'not enough.'

'We must keep our promises to these brave men and women - their lives depend on it,' he said.  

The broad coalition of support led by military veteran Jason Crow includes progressive Democrat lawmakers Sheila Jackson-Lee, bipartisan military veterans Seth Moulton and Adam Kinzinger, and Republicans such as Michael McCaul and Tom McClintock, among others.

Speaking on the House floor ahead of the vote Thursday, Texas GOP Rep. McCaul grimly warned the Afghan government is 'likely going to fall to the Taliban' - leaving those who helped the US with 'a bullseye on their back.'

'They will be killed if we don't get them out of there,' he said plainly. 

An Afghan National Army soldier stands guard at the Bagram Air Base on July 3. US troops are set to fully withdraw from the region by September 11, 20 years after first deployment

Colorado Rep. Jason Crow, a retired Army ranger who served in Afghanistan, said the translators who aided US troops 'earned a path to safety.'

'Those Afghans knew the risk that their service posed to them and their families, and yet they signed up to help because they believed that we would have their back,' Crow said. 

The Biden State Department announced earlier this week that it would house 700 interpreters and their families at Fort Lee military base in Virginia, where they will be allowed to finish the SIV application process.

It continues on a promise from the White House to begin evacuating interpreters by late July, when Biden said interpreters could be send to third-party countries 'if they wish to leave' that way.

The administration is currently looking for a way to evacuate an additional 4,000 applicants to an overseas location, The Hill reports.

The administration will prioritize evacuating those who have already begun applying for their SIV, a process which could take up to 800 days.

However, the normally drawn-out process has faced even more delays over the last year due to State Department backlogs, a lack of translators to help process paperwork and the COVID-19 pandemic.

The initial evacuation will likely be carried out by civilian chartered planes rather than military aircraft.

Many interpreters who helped the US military over its 20-year conflict in Afghanistan are facing increasing threats to their lives as the Taliban gains ground. Afghan government security forces in the country have set up check points (seen here) to search people and vehicles ahead of the Muslim holiday Eid al-Adha

Dubbed Operation Allies Refuge, the effort will be spearheaded by the US Air Force.

Around 300 Afghan translators are believed to have been murdered since 2014, according to nonprofit No One Left Behind.

Biden's new evacuation plan comes amid an escalation in violence between US-backed Afghan troops and the Taliban.

The extremist group announced last week that it had seized a strategic border crossing with Pakistan.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid tweeted a video purporting to show Taliban fighters in the town of Spin Boldak along the border.

Residents of the Pakistani border town of Chaman reported seeing the Taliban's signature white flag flying just across the boundary line and Taliban fighters in vehicles driving in the area.

'If the Taliban see us they will cut off our heads': The pleas of stranded Afghan translators to the Biden administration 

Below are some of the requests in SIV applications from Afghan translators and interpreters. They detail their threats, some simply say 'help' and others reach out directly to the White House in hopes of staying alive.  Some of the passages have been paraphrased. None have been identified because of the ongoing safety concerns they face in Afghanistan.

'SIV is our last hope of staying alive.' 

'I have served for more than two years as an interpreter/translator and more than seven years on the USAID funded projects in Afghanistan. My visa is pending administrative processing for no reason besides waiting for my recommendation letter.'

'I did my medical on September 16, 2020 , but am still waiting for issues to be resolved.'

'The embassy has cancelled my application for (unfaithful services), a general term they are putting for thousands of translators to cancel their petitions. Contrary to the fact that we risked our lives, our entire family and could have been killed.'

'I have worked with oil companies as an supervisor also worked with US army and coalition forces as an translator.

'I applied for SIV in August 2014. I was finally down to my interview at the Kabul US Embassy September 2018. Then the Console Section gave me a yellow card and told me to bring a new recommendation from my supervisor. I haven't been able to find him in two years because his email is not working and I don't have his personal email address. My family is in trouble. I am still receiving threats from ISIS and the Taliban. I don't know where I can go or or to whom I can tell my problems.'

'Kindly pass our message on that we have suffered a lot for American soldiers. We have worked with them honestly for a bright future. Now we have been left behind, and no excuses have been given.'

'Me and my family are living under serious threat in Afghanistan.'

'I want to speed up our case. We are still living in fear and we have been waiting for asylum into the US for so long.'

'I have been waiting for my visa since 2016. I started working for the US Special Forces in 2009 until 2013.Then our program closed in 205. Since then I have been working with US ASS Mentors at COB Morehead in Kabul. I am still an interpreter, and as you know we are at risk of threat and violence in Afghanistan. It's very hard to live any more because of my work for the US government. Please save my life, my two children and my wife.'

'In April 2020, the State Department Consular section in Baghdad refused my SIV case. It seems loyalty to U.S. goals are not appreciated, just like 100s of American soldiers who returned home and were not taken care of. No surprise at all.'

'I have been waiting for my SIV case to process for four years. More than four of my close friends have lost their lives. After our work with the US, we have put the lives of our family members in great danger and the future for us is uncertain.'

'Please save our lives. We risked our lives for your forces.

'We have given our time, our life, and our integrity. Please expedite the process.'

'I worked with US special forces as interpreter, but I have still been left behind.'

'My life is really in danger due to working with US forces in Afghanistan. I have been followed by the Taliban. My house is under the threat of attack. I applied for an SIV when I got married. My daughter is five and my son is two, and I am still waiting for an interview.'

'I have been waiting 14 years and I am still waiting to get my visa. The guys running the SIV program are not working as much as they should. I wish you were in my position, so they could feel what I am. Then you would have to run the system like hell to save us. Thank you.'

'All linguists are in a very bad situation. If the Taliban or Sisi see us, they will cut our heads from our bodies. Help us please.'

'Please resume interviews at the US Embassy in Kabul.'

'We interpreters need your consideration for speeding up the process because our security is getting worse by the day.'

'Mr. President, every day in Kabul is deadly, and we can not live in our villages. We are very happy that you were elected. These are the real values of the United States. We want an executive order to move all barriers of employment.'

'President Biden, we hope we can see changes in the SIV program and an easier way to facilitate the process, especially for the ones who been waiting for years.' 

'I have been attacked couple times. The first attack was by ISIL, but, I managed to flee. The second attack was an IED at my house door. It exploded and destroyed most of my home, but God saved me. Since then I flee from one place to another.

'Mr. Biden please help me.'

'Everybody knows that here in Afghanistan the conditions are getting worse day by day, so we are humbly requesting from the new elected US president Joe Biden and vice president Harris to speed up our all SIV applicant's cases.' 

'The Taliban killed my brother while working with Chemonics in Helmand in 2005. They have been treating me since then, but I could not go my village in Paktia from 2006. But I do not know why my application has been rejected where I had worked with the USAID. 

'I know that president-elect Biden and Vice president- elect Harris have the kind of personalities that believe 'nothing makes them happier than making someone else happy, especially for those who really needs help and assistant'. The kindness we put out into the world always finds a way of coming back to us.' 

'I request to the respected President-Elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Harris to keep our families safe.' 

'Mr. Biden. For more than eight years I have been employee on behalf of the US government here in Afghanistan. I have been known as US government supporter in the region and I have suffered several threats as a result. My US supervisor recommended me for the SIV program, but all his contacts are off. I don't know whether my supervisor is alive or not, but one thing is clear is that we have truly supported and helped the U.S. government. Every moment for us we live under threat. Please resolve the issue or me and my family will be killed one day.'

'I've been waiting all these years. I wish President Biden would make my dreams come true.' 

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2021-07-23 21:02:36Z
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