A former Afghan interpreter who had worked for the US Army and fled the Taliban takeover has been killed in Washington DC while working as a driver for a ride-sharing company. Nasrat Ahmadyar, a father of four, was shot dead while working a late shift.
He had worked as an interpreter for the US Special Forces in Afghanistan for over 10 years and had fled to the US after the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan nearly two years ago. The Afghan community in Washington DC is now raising funds for his family. Police are investigating the incident, and Lyft, the ride-sharing company that Ahmadyar worked for, has extended its condolences to his family and offered its support.
Interpreters who worked for the US Army in Afghanistan are facing an increased risk of reprisals since the Taliban took control of the country in August 2021. Many interpreters were left behind as troops withdrew, and some have been forced to go into hiding.
The Taliban is actively searching for translators who worked with foreign troops, according to former interpreters with US and British troops. Afghanistan has been ranked the world’s least peaceful country for the seventh consecutive year, and the UN has named it one of the world’s most oppressive countries for women and girls, who are mostly confined to their homes under Taliban rules.
