D.G. MARTIN: A North Carolinian in Afghanistan to 'the bitter end'
Saturday, June 26, 2021 -- President Joe Biden has ordered the troops in Afghanistan to be home by September. Why does Durham resident David Zucchino, winner the Pulitzer Prize for his book, "Wilmington's Lie: The Murderous Coup of 1898 and the Rise of White Supremacy," continue his work there? He plans to keep working in Afghanistan "until the bitter end."
Posted — UpdatedPresident Joe Biden has ordered the troops in Afghanistan to be home by September.
Why does one North Carolina man promise to continue his work there?
Why?
Zucchino, a former reporter for the Raleigh News & Observer, Philadelphia Inquirer and the Los Angles Times, currently writes about Afghanistan for The New York Times.
Coming to an end, but not yet at an end, as Zucchino explained in two Times’ articles earlier this month.
After initially being turned down for a refugee application for permission to enter the United States, Assadi was granted a “humanitarian parole” by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Assadi and his family have safely relocated to the U.S. aided by Kimberley Motley, a North Carolina-based human rights attorney.
But his story raises questions about other Afghan pilots, many of whom could be targets of the Taliban. Lt. Col. Jalaluddin Ibrahimkhel, an Afghan Air Force spokesman, stated, “It’s a pity. He did this to escape from serving his homeland” and that others were now more likely to “make excuses and escape.”
Zuchinno writes, “Many pilots and soldiers have been threatened by the Taliban. Most can only dream of relocating their families to the United States.”
Another group of Afghans whose service to Americans puts them at risk are those who served as interpreters.
Zucchino continues, “Now, as American troops depart and Afghans experience a growing sense of anxiety and despair, the visa applications have taken on renewed urgency. With the Taliban taking advantage of the U.S. withdrawal, many former interpreters say they are more likely than ever to be killed.”
Zucchino reports that more than 18,000 Afghans are awaiting decisions on their applications, for Special Immigrant Visas (“SIVs”) according to the U.S. Embassy in Afghanistan. “Many say they are seized by dread, fearing they will be denied, or approved only after they have been hunted down and killed.”
The fates of Afghan military and interpreters will be only two of the many stories Zucchino will report as the American military withdrawal continues and after its completion.
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