Afghan Interpreter’s Life and Family Threatened; US Church Groups Give Help

Afghan interpreters have tackled numerous killings and deaths in the hands of the Taliban.

Matt Zeller, an Afghan War Veteran, stated that the troops' interpreters are like their weapons; they aid in the success of their mission by dealing and communicating with the locals.

And now, an Afghan interpreter named Hameed received a note stating to specifically target him and his family.

Hameed sought refuge in the United States after his and his family's life were threatened. They are now far from the killing and the bombing, but it has been a long journey.

Hameed served as an interpreter and cultural adviser for the U.S. and the coalition forces during the war in Afghanistan for seven years, and it took him and his family six years before they would arrive in U.S. "He applied in 2008. It wasn't until January 2014 that he and his family would finally arrive in the United States," stated Mola Lenghi of WUSA.

Even after years of combat side by side with the U.S. troops, Afghan interpreters suffer difficulty in acquiring U.S. visas to seek protection in United States.

But in 2009, an Afghan Special Immigration Visa program was imposed to help Afghans in the Central Asian nation who faced genuine danger for working with the US government to America, reported the Christian Post.

Hameed had faith in the U.S. for he believed that they are the only ones that would bring peace in his country.

Church groups understood the Afghan family's fears and their wanting to find peace and sanctuary in the United States. They have provided help for the family since they have arrived in the U.S. from Afghanistan.

"The congregation has provided financial support as well as coordinating the acquisition of household items in addition to helping the family find a place to live," Reggie Tuck, the senior pastor at Messiah UMC, told the Christian Post.