An Afghan interpreter named Mohammed, who in 2008 helped then Senator Joe Biden and two more American senators who were stranded in a remote Afghanistan valley, is now appealing to the Democratic president to help him and his family escape the Taliban.
Mohammed is one of the many U.S. allies who were left in Afghanistan after the country fell under Taliban rule in mid August and after the U.S. troops completed their pullout operations on August 30.
"Hello Mr. President: Save me and my family," Mohammed, who asked not to publish his full name as he is hiding from the Taliban, told The Wall Street Journal. He pleaded, "Don't forget me here."
Mohammed said that he and his wife, together with their four children are hiding from the Taliban after years of attempting to flee Afghanistan. Their attempts were in vain as they encountered challenges with the bureaucracy. White House press secretary responded to Mohammed's pleas on Tuesday, saying, "We will get you out. We will honor your service."
In 2008, the 36 year old Mohammed served as an interpreter for the U.S. Army when two of its Black Hawk helicopters made an emergency landing in Afghanistan during a heavy snowstorm, Fox News reported. The passengers of those Black Hawk helicopters were none other than Democratic Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts, Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, and then Senator Joe Biden.
A private security team with the former firm Blackwater together with U.S. Army soldiers ensured there were no nearby Taliban fighters as the crew sent out an emergency call for help.
It was at the Bagram Air Field where Mohammed joined a Quick Reaction Force from the Arizona National Guard working with the 82nd Airborne Division, to travel on a Humvee for hours to the nearby mountains to rescue the American senators, Brian Genthe reported. Genthe was at the time serving as a staff sergeant in the Arizona National Guard and had brought Mohammed onto the rescue mission.
Genthe recounted how Mohammed spent his time with the U.S. forces, joining more than 100 firefights with them. He even earned their trust enough to be given arms when they encountered dangerous situations. In June, Lt. Col. Andrew R. Till wrote to support Mohammed's application for a Special Immigrant Visa, saying that the Afghan narrator's "selfless service to our military men and women is just the kind of service I wish more Americans displayed."
However, Mohammed's visa application failed to be processed when the defense contractor he worked for lost the records the Afghan interpreter needed for the application. When Afghanistan fell under Taliban rule, Mohammed tried to access the Kabul airport, but he was turned away by U.S. forces, with the exception of his wife and children.
That was when army veterans began calling upon lawmakers to appeal for the rescue of the stranded Afghan interpreter. Shawn O'Brien, an Army combat veteran who worked with Mohammed in Afghanistan in 2008, said, "If you can only help one Afghan, choose him."
