An Afghan interpreter who helped rescue Joe Biden 13 years ago is currently pleading for rescue after they got left behind in Afghanistan.
Mohammed, who cannot use his full name for safety, told the The Wall Street Journal:
Hello, Mr. President: Save me and my family. Don’t forget me here.
The interpreter is among countless Afghan allies that got left behind after the US troops fully withdrew from the country.
The Wall Street Journal said that Mohammed is currently hiding with his wife and four children.
Mohammed was part of a team that helped rescue Biden, when he was still a Delaware senator.
Biden was with Sens. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., and John Kerry, D-Mass., in 2008 when their helicopters were forced to land in a snowstorm.
They got stranded in a remote valley.
Mohammed was an interpreter for the US Army.
Army Veterans that worked with him, who were not named, confirmed that Mohammed was with them.
Jen Psaki, the White House Press Secretary, responded to Mohammed’s Plea for help on Tuesday.
They said that the United States of America is committed to extracting him and his family from the country.
Jen added:
We will get you out, we will honor your service, and we’re committed to doing exactly that.
Afghan allies that aided US Forces during the 20 year war in Afghanistan face retribution from the Taliban.
Mohamed and others like him get a Special immigrant Visa, which allows them a secure entry into the United States of America.
Ned Price, the State Department’s spokesperson, recently said that the visa system has been slow because of chronic staffing shortages.
Not only that, but the system lacks a coordinating official and has a bureaucratic 14-step process enshrined in statute, which are all leftovers from the Trump administration.
Price said that the Biden administration has added resources and has implemented a number of changes to reduce the processing time by over a 1 year into months.
This resulted the number of visas issued from 100 per month to 813 per week.
The visa application of Mohammed was delayed because the defense contractor that he worked for lost the records that were needed for the application.
Mohammed tried to get to the designated airport gaits at the Kabul’s Hamid Karzai International Airport, however, was told he could get in but not his family.
Right now, Mohammed is waiting for a plan to be announced by the US Government and a word from the Taliban if they would provide safe passage to people that want to leave the country.