As Australian forces prepare to leave Afghanistan, the families of deceased interpreters who served alongside the Defence Force desperately want to join the troop withdrawal in September.
Mohammad Afzal is among the family members calling for federal government assistance, as he faces threats from the Taliban following the death of his son Ahmad Jawid in 2017.
His son was only 18 when he began his deployment as an interpreter for Australian forces in the Uruzgan province in 2008, a job he held for four years.
Speaking from Afghanistan, Mr Afzal told a joint SBS Dari and SBS Pashto investigation, it was his son's "dream" to move to Australia when his deployment ended in 2012, but tragedy struck five years later when he was killed by the Taliban as he travelled from Kandahar to Kabul.
Ahmad Jawid Afzali was killed in 2017 as he drove to Kabul. Source: Supplied
Mr Afzal said his son was driving to the Afghan capital to visit him in hospital.
“I was hospitalised in Ali Abad Hospital and so he was coming [to Kabul] because of me. They brought his coffin to me [instead],” he said.
“He was the breadwinner of our family. He was coming to Kabul for my treatment."
Mr Afzal said his son was captured and killed at a checkpoint in the Salar district, 80 kilometres southeast of Kabul, after Taliban fighters searched his computer and found documents and images relating to his deployment.
Jawid (centre, with uniform) with fellow interpreters inside the Uruzgan camp. Source: Supplied
Despite his son's death, Mr Afzal said the Taliban's threats have continued.
“I don’t know where to go to save my life. They are threatening me about my son who was working for Australians and warning me to take care of myself.
“He did a lot of work [in Uruzgan] and every Australian who was there knew his name. He served them.”
According to his father, Jawid lodged an Australian refugee visa application in 2015, though due to his death, the family is unable to gain access to his email account to check the progress of the application.
As a result, they are unaware of whether Jawid was successful.
“All the documents were with him, and [the Taliban] took all the documents from him and now we do not have anything with us.
“This is my request for the Australian government, we are unable to do anything. Whatever they can do for us, they should help us and take us away from here, because [the Taliban] will kill all of my kids and they will not leave anyone of us alive.”
Mr Afzal’s son-in-law, Mahmoud*, also served as an interpreter for Australian forces and said he submitted the same kind of visa application in 2015.
Mahmoud said Jawid was in Kandahar to retrieve documents to add to his visa application before he was killed.
In early 2021, Mahmoud received his Australian refugee visa and is now waiting anxiously to fly to his new home.
'Great threat'
Interpreter Samiullah Seddique was 34 when he was killed by the Taliban in front of his home in the Kama district of the Nangahar province on March 1, 2019.
He worked with Australian and Dutch forces in Uruzgan until 2013 when the AFD withdrew from the province, his brother Abdullah Seddique said.
“When the foreign forces left, his work also finished but he was faced with threats and killed on Friday, March 1, 2019, at about 8am, in front of his house in Kama. I was also with him, and they also fired at me, but I survived.
“Their faces were covered. When my brother went outside, the firing had started and when the firing started, I also went outside."
Abdullah said his brother submitted two unsuccessful applications for asylum before his death, with Australia and The Netherlands, respectively.
Bullet holes are visible from the Taliban attack which killed interpreter Samiullah Seddique. Image supplied by Abdullah Seddique. Source: Supplied
He said the entire family remains "under serious threat” from the Taliban and urges the Australian government to provide a "safe place" for them.
“Our family is still not able to openly and freely move around because of the threats. The pharmacy which we owned got closed and Samiullah’s income has stopped. Now we are facing financial hardship and security problems.
“Samiullah emailed the Australian embassy many times, but they said [the situation] is not too serious and 'your application is not acceptable' for the Australian defence ministry and the Netherlands did say the same.
“We request the Australian government take our family to a safe place and support us to leave this place. If we do not leave, then we may lose another member of our family.”
A threat letter from the Taliban sent to Samiullah Seddique before his death. Source: Supplied
'Urgently processing'
In December 2012, the Australian government announced it would offer resettlement to eligible Locally Engaged Employees (LEEs) at risk of harm due to their employment in support of Australia’s mission in Afghanistan.
The Department of Home Affairs told SBS Dari that Australia has resettled more than 1200 LEEs from Afghanistan since 2013 and that it is "urgently processing the on-hand Afghan caseload", though it did not specify whether family members were a part of the focus.
"An applicant must first be certified as being at significant risk of harm as a result of their employment or support to Australia’s mission, after which they may apply for a humanitarian visa," the spokesperson said.
"Visa applications from certified LEE are afforded the highest processing priority within the Humanitarian Program but applicants must still meet rigorous health, character and national security requirements.
"Usually, Afghan LEE are considered for subclass 201 - In-country Special Humanitarian, as generally applicants are located in Afghanistan at the time of consideration. If applicants have left Afghanistan they would be considered for subclass 200 – Refugee."
A spokesperson from the Department of Defence said the Australian government has "generously supported those Afghan and Iraqi nationals who were employed in support of Australia’s mission and their families wherever possible and continues to."
"We are committed to the safety of all personnel working for the Australian government in Afghanistan," the Defence Force spokesperson added.
'The security situation will deteriorate'
Patrick Ryan is a member of Forsaken Fighters Australia, a group which advocates and assists veterans and mission essential personnel (MEP) who have served the Australian government.
He’s currently advocating for the rights of Afghans who worked with Australian forces during the decades-long conflict.
He said Australia has a “moral obligation to protect these people because it’s quite obvious their lives are under considerable threat”.
“I think at least the immediate family needs to be given emergency protection, it's really important to do that quickly before September. The extended family obviously needs further consideration because they may be subject to persecution as a result of their family associations.”
Mr Ryan said it’s vital that Afghans are evacuated before the security situation "deteriorates" post-September.
The last of Australia's troops have been flown out of Afghanistan. Source: Australian Department of Defence
“I believe the security situation will deteriorate very quickly and their lives are in immediate danger. We have already had quite a few of the military interpreters killed, even some of them who were already granted visas but hadn’t made arrangements to come to Australia because of the COVID-19 situation or other operational matters.
“We have to treat this with utmost urgency and seriousness, and perhaps leave the political issues until after these people are at least in a place where they are safe. That doesn’t necessarily have to be within Australia at this time, it could be in a third country, it could be in one of our offshore centres.”
*Not their real name
