White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki has a message for the Afghan interpreter who rescued then-Sen. Joe Biden and other now-former senators in 2008.
As The Wall Street Journal reported, “Mohammed was a 36-year-old interpreter for the U.S. Army in 2008 when two U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopters made an emergency landing in Afghanistan during a blinding snowstorm, according to Army veterans who worked with him at the time. On board were three U.S. senators: Mr. Biden (D., Del.), John Kerry (D., Mass.) and Chuck Hagel (R., Neb.).”
Mohammed, who asked for his full name not to be used, told the Journal, “Hello Mr. President: Save me and my family. Don’t forget me here.”
The interpreter’s remarks came as the last flight of Americans left from Kabul, Afghanistan, on Monday.
“Our message to him is: Thank you for fighting by our side for the last 20 years. Thank you for the role you played in helping a number of my favorite people out of a snowstorm and for all the work you did. And our commitment is enduring, not just to American citizens but to our Afghan partners who have fought by our side,” Psaki said during Tuesday’s press briefing.
She added, “And our efforts and our focus right now is, as you’ve heard Gen. McKenzie say and others say over the last 24 hours, is to the diplomatic phase. We will get you out. We will honor your service. And we’re committed to doing exactly that.”
Listen to Psaki’s remarks below:
PSAKI message to the Afghan interpreter who helped rescue Biden from a snowstorm in 2008:
— Zach Purser Brown (@zachjourno) August 31, 2021
"We will get you out. We will honor your service. And we're committed to doing exactly that." pic.twitter.com/k5voQlD8JK
As the Journal also wrote, “Mohammed, his wife, and their four children are hiding from the Taliban after his yearslong attempt to get out of Afghanistan got tangled in the bureaucracy. They are among countless Afghan allies who were left behind when the U.S. ended its 20-year military campaign in Afghanistan on Monday.”
Mohammed’s application for the Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) “became stuck after the defense contractor he worked for lost the records he needed for his application,” the publication reports. Mohammed was able to get in when attempting to enter the Kabul airport gates, but his wife and children weren’t,” the Journal reports.
“I can’t leave my house,” Mohammed said on Tuesday while in hiding. “I’m very scared.”