An Afghan translator who told Fresno radio listeners "you guys are my only hope" last week as he sought to flee his homeland is now near Fort Bliss, an Army base in southwest Texas that is the destination for Afghan refugees, GV Wire learned from Terry Slatic on Tuesday. Slatic,...
Translator Who Told Fresno ‘You Guys Are My Last Hope’ Exits Afghanistan, Reaches U.S.
An Afghan man who provided translation services for since-retired Marine Maj. Terry Slatic during his tours in Afghanistan, as well as other U.S. troops, told Slatic and PowerTalk 96.7 radio host Trevor Carey on Tuesday that he feared for his life if he had to remain there now that the...
Afghan Translator Begs Fresno Radio Audience: ‘You Guys Are My Last Hope’
An Afghan man who provided translation services for since-retired Marine Maj. Terry Slatic during his tours in Afghanistan, as well as other U.S. troops, told Slatic and PowerTalk 96.7 radio host Trevor Carey on Tuesday that he fears for his life if he has to remain there now that the...
Ex-Marine and Fresno Schools Leader Seeks Safety for Afghanistan Translator
The abrupt pullout of U.S. troops from Afghanistan ordered by President Joe Biden could mean a death sentence for the Afghan locals who have provided translation and other assistance over the the past 20 years, and likely will prevent local people in future Third World conflicts from helping U.S. troops,...
Afghans Who Helped the US Now Fear Being Left Behind
KABUL, Afghanistan — He served as an interpreter alongside U.S. soldiers on hundreds of patrols and dozens of firefights in eastern Afghanistan, earning a glowing letter of recommendation from an American platoon commander and a medal of commendation. Still, Ayazudin Hilal was turned down when he applied for one of...
Afghan Police Say Kabul Mosque Bombing Kills 12 Worshippers
KABUL, Afghanistan — A bomb ripped through a mosque in northern Kabul during Friday prayers, killing 12 worshippers, and wounding 15, Afghan police said. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the bombing, the latest in a surge in violence as U.S. and NATO troops have begun their final withdrawal from...
US Orders Big Drawdown at Kabul Embassy as Troops Leave
WASHINGTON — The State Department on Tuesday ordered a significant number of its remaining staff at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul to leave Afghanistan as the military steps up the pullout of American troops from the country. The order came as the U.S. special envoy for Afghanistan told lawmakers that...
US-Backed Afghan Peace Meeting Postponed as Taliban Balk
KABUL, Afghanistan — An upcoming international peace conference that was meant to move Afghanistan's warring sides to a power-sharing deal and ensure an orderly U.S. exit from the country has been postponed, its sponsors announced Wednesday. They cited a lack of prospects for meaningful progress. As peace efforts stalled, Germany's...
Biden on Afghanistan: ‘Time to End America’s Longest War’
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden says the Sept. 11 attacks “cannot explain” why U.S. forces should remain in Afghanistan 20 years later and that “it is time for American troops to come home” from the country's longest war. Biden, in excerpts of a speech to the nation he plans later...
Biden Seems Ready to Extend US Troop Presence in Afghanistan
WASHINGTON — Without coming right out and saying it, President Joe Biden seems ready to let lapse a May 1 deadline for completing a withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan. Orderly withdrawals take time, and Biden is running out of it. Biden has inched so close to the deadline that...