Highlights
- The families of two former interpreters murdered by the Taliban have called for expedited resettlement in Australia.
- One of the men was killed "on the spot" after a Taliban checkpoint guard found photos of him with Australian soldiers on his laptop.
- The Department of Home Affairs says the number of Afghans being resettled may be higher than official figures.
Since the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan in August 2021, the family members of Afghan interpreters killed by the regime during the decades-long war say they are deeply concerned about their safety and are calling for urgent assistance from the Australian government.
Over the past nine years, hundreds of at-risk interpreters and their family members have been resettled in Australia but SBS Pashto is aware of a number of families of deceased interpreters - who served alongside the ADF in Afghanistan - who remain stranded in the troubled nation, fearing for their safety on a daily basis.
Abdul* is one such family member calling for Australian government assistance, as he said he and other relatives faced continuous threats from the Taliban following the death of their brother Khalid* in 2011.
He said his brother was only 22 years old, when he started working as an interpreter with the ADF in Uruzgan province of Afghanistan.
Abdul said that in May 2011, his brother had left his house with a hope to financially support his family but that five months later, on October 29, he was killed, along with three Australian soldiers, by gunmen wearing Afghan army uniforms in Uruzgan.
Soldiers often relied on local interpreters during the war in Afghanistan. Source: Getty Images/Stocktrek Images
“Due to the economic problems which we were facing, he got a job to support his family, but unfortunately this incident happened,” Abdul said.
“As there were two people named Khalid* who were working [as interpreters], we at first thought it could be the other one, then we received specific information that it was our brother who was killed.
Khalid*, an Afghan interpreter, was killed along with Australian soldiers. Source: Supplied
One day he left for work and a few months later we received his dead body.
In the March 29 federal budget, the Australian government announced an additional 16,500 places for Afghan nationals through its humanitarian program, which increased the total number of humanitarian visas to 26,500 over the next four years.
Speaking from Afghanistan, Abdul said that his brother was killed because of his work with the ADF and Australia therefore had a moral obligation to assist his family.
When he was killed because of them [Australians], why did they remain silent? Why don't they reach out to his family and support them? Why aren't they doing anything for them?
“They know, there are a lot of problems here [in Afghanistan] (including) security problems, economic problems and all types of problems are here.
“Those who are alive, they can defend their rights, but those who are not alive, what about their families? We should have priority in the visas announced [for Afghan nationals].”
Fraidoon Azizi is an Afghan interpreter who managed a group of Afghan interpreters on ground operations in Afghanistan from 2008 to 2012. He said that Khalid was shot in the head and two other interpreters were injured in the same incident.
"He was shot in the head by an ANA soldier. It was a Saturday morning when Khalid* with a few Aussie soldiers plus other ANA members were gathering at an open area inside the base," he said.
Taliban fighters have vowed to hunt down those Afghans who assisted the ADF. Source: Social media -- Public domain
“Two more interpreters had severe injuries and a few Australian soldiers were dead as well.
“Since that happened, there was no trust of the ANA. Everyone was shocked and very scared to go inside the ANA camp for meetings with the mentors."
Mr Azizi said over the past four and a half years, five interpreters had died during missions with ADF soldiers.
He told SBS Pashto that Khalid’s family had been continuously contacting him for help since 2014, but that he had advised them to contact the Afghan LEE within the Department of Defence.
"Khalid’s family has been contacting me since 2014 when I came to Australia and asking me to help them. Even after August 2021, when the Taliban took over Kabul, they contacted me to see if I could help them," he said.
"I advised them to let Afghan LEE know of their situation but they haven’t received any response.”
Mr Azizi said of those interpreters or the families of interpreters which remained in Afghanistan, all were living in a state of great fear.
"I know most of them are changing their addresses every now and then for the sake of not getting caught by the Taliban," he said.
For the Australian government there shouldn’t be any other priorities ahead of processing the applications of the families of interpreters.
Khalid* (front, centre) with an Australian soldier (behind, centre) and Khalid's family members. Source: Supplied
Photos with Australian soldiers on laptop proved a death sentence for Mohammad’s son
According to his heartbroken father, interpreter Ahmad* was only 18 years old, when he began his work as an interpreter for the ADF in the Uruzgan province in 2008, a job he held for about four years.
Mohammad said that it was his son’s “dream” to come to Australia and in 2015, he lodged an Australian refugee visa application but before knowing about the results of his application, he was killed by the Taliban.
He said that his son went to Kandahar province to get some work-related documents from a friend to add to his visa application however, on his way home, he was captured and killed at a checkpoint in the Salar district, 80 kilometres southeast of Kabul.
He had his computer with him, there were some of his photos with Australians and documents. They captured and killed him on the spot.
“My son's body was then dismembered and placed in a coffin,” he said.
Mohammad said his son was the “breadwinner of the family” and he was killed because of his work with Australian forces in Afghanistan. Now, the remaining family faced both security threats and financial hardship, he said.
“All of the Australians knew him and he [Ahmad] was killed because of them,” Mohammad said.
“The Australian government should get us out of here, (because) they (the Taliban) will kill us here [in Afghanistan]. If they knew that our son was an interpreter, they would not let us live, they are also looking for us.”
Afghanistan evacuees and soldiers disembarking at a base in August 2021. Source: AAP
Mohammad told SBS Pashto the family had been forced to move house three times since the Taliban seized power.
They are searching for me and my other sons to kill us.
“I still receive calls from different contact numbers threatening me. They are looking for me because my son was working with foreigners.”
‘Safety of LEE who supported Australia remains a top priority’: Home Affairs responds to SBS
A spokesperson for the Department of Home Affairs said while they could not comment on individual cases, the government was committed to its policy announced on December 12, 2012, to resettle eligible Locally Engaged Employees (LEE) at risk of harm due to their employment in support of Australia’s mission in Afghanistan.
Any person, including former LEE and their family members, who believes they meet the requirements for a humanitarian visa and wishes to seek Australia’s assistance can make an application.
Since 2013, more than 2100 Afghan LEE and their families at risk of harm due to their employment supporting Australia in Afghanistan had been resettled in Australia, the spokesperson said.
“The number of Afghan LEE and their families resettled in Australia is likely to be higher than the 2100 mentioned above as in the 4800 Afghans who arrived in Australia since August 2021 on temporary humanitarian visas, there are likely to be a number who were Afghan LEE but not recorded as such in departmental systems,” the spokesperson said.
Afghan interpreters played a key role in assisting western defence forces in Afghanistan for many years. Source: Getty Images/Stocktrek Images
“In addition, since 1 July 2013, more than 16,500 visas have been granted to Afghans under the Offshore Humanitarian Program; and over 5000 Afghan nationals were provided safe passage to Australia on emergency subclass 449 visas since August 2021,” they said.
“Of these, over 3000 have now been granted a permanent resident visa with a further 1500 in process with the Department.”
The spokesperson said the safety of LEE who had supported Australia’s mission in Afghanistan remained a high priority for the Australian Government.
“The Australian Government continues to work to ensure each case is considered and those at risk of harm who meet visa requirements are resettled to Australia as soon as possible,” the spokesperson said.
“The safety and security of Australia is an absolute priority. Applicants must meet the visa criteria and satisfy Public Interest Criteria for Character, Security and Health.”
*Name has been changed to protect identity.
