© Haroon Sabawoon/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images Afghan people who want to leave the country continue to wait around Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan on August 26, 2021.
Afghan interpreters left behind after New Zealand ceased its mercy flights are shocked and terrified at being stranded, saying it is a “total betrayal” by the New Zealand government. 6park.com
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The Guardian spoke to an Afghan interpreter, Ali* who was approved for a resettlement visa in New Zealand due to fears of reprisal from the Taliban for assisting allied forces. He remains in Kabul, and is in contact with a group of 37 other translators, interpreters and other people who assisted New Zealand forces in Afghanistan. He says none of them have been evacuated.
Told that the New Zealand government had ended its evacuation flights, he said, “It’s shocking news. I can’t believe it at all. No. I can’t believe it.”
Related: ‘Time matters’: the NZ families desperate to save loved ones trapped in Afghanistan
“What will happen to us? To all 37 people who have the visas and have worked directly [for New Zealand]?” Ali asked.
“My message is to not leave us behind. It’s a total betrayal. The government could seek another way.”
On Friday morning, prime minister Jacinda Ardern announced New Zealand was ending further flights into Kabul, due to the ongoing threat of terrorist attacks. The announcement followed an attack at the airport on Thursday that killed least 60 Afghans and 13 US soldiers.
Ali said the Afghans who had been left behind in Kabul were terrified and believed the country was on the brink of civil war.