Hiding away in a property less than five kilometres from Kabul airport, former DFAT guard Tariq (not his real name) says he fears for the life of his four children.
He sends voice messages to SBS News via Whatsapp. His two-year-old daughter's cries can be heard in the background.
“I worry about their lives," he says. "We passed and we got old so we don’t care about our lives, we care about their lives, especially my daughter. They’re taking young girls from their home and they are getting married by force.”
Tariq is referring to the Taliban, following their takeover of Afghanistan this week.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Tuesday the Australian government would not be able to rescue all interpreters and guards, like Tariq, who assisted its 20-year mission in the country.
Tariq is among 12 other contractors who were certified by DFAT to apply for a LEE humanitarian visa this week, but they have now been told to fill out more paperwork and wait for approval from the Department of Home Affairs.
He says it's a process he doesn’t have time for with the Taliban on the streets.
“The Taliban was there on the streets and the roads and we are scared because we were in the media and we’re scared they saw our videos and know who we are,” he says.
'Plenty of warning'
Paul Johnstone managed security contractors at the Australian Embassy in Kabul. He says the Australian government could have avoided this situation if they took adequate action earlier.
“There’s been enough warning, there’s enough people who’ve warned the government for the last three to six months, the Australian government should’ve arranged this way before this," he says.
"The day they decided to close the Australian embassy in Kabul should’ve been the day they started planning to evacuate these essential personnel that have been serving our country, some of them now for over 10 years.”
Mr Johnstone says the government already has all of the data and information they need on the personnel currently stranded in Afghanistan and asking for more paperwork from them now, especially given the current circumstances, is unnecessary.
Paul Johnstone in Afghanistan. Source: Supplied/Paul Johnstone
“To ask these people now - when the Taliban are going door to door to execute these people - to do these online applications, and passing the buck from one department to another, is an absolute disgrace and our country should be ashamed of what we’ve done to these people.”
As for Tariq, he is just asking for an answer from the government so that he knows whether to seek asylum from other nations.
“We feel the Australian government is playing with our lives, even that they don’t want to save our lives or keep us protected."
"At least they can let us know and send an official letter saying 'sorry we cannot help you guys,' so we could go and show that letter to British or American or Canadian authorities and maybe they can help us.”
Mr Morrison on Wednesday confirmed 26 people - which included Australian citizens, Afghan visa holders, and a foreign official -
Flights intended to carry larger cohorts of people are being set up for the days ahead.
SBS News understands visa holders, including former interpreters for Australia, were initially told they would not be part of this first rescue operation.
The airport in Kabul was closed temporarily on Monday that saw hundreds try to force their way onto evacuation flights while US soldiers tried to control crowds.
