An Afghan man whose brother worked as an interpreter for the U.S. military has been sentenced to death by the Taliban.
The terrorist group accused the man of providing security for his sibling and helping the U.S. during the war, according to three letters written by the Taliban and obtained by CNN.
What Is There in the Letters?
CNN obtained three letters sent to the man: the first summoning him to a trial, the second confirming his non-appearance, and the third informing him that he had been found "guilty in absentia" and sentenced to death for his "servitude to the invading crusaders."
CNN is not identifying the Afghan man, nor his family member, to protect their identities amid the threats they are facing. The letters, which were written in Pashto and translated into English for CNN, have seals that match those of archival Taliban letters.
It is unknown if the man or his translator brother are still in Afghanistan.
Letters Contradict Assurances Given by a Taliban Spokesman
The death sentence is in stark contrast to Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid's public comments a week ago when he vowed there wouldn't be any violence.
"Nobody will be harmed in Afghanistan," Mujahid said. "Of course, there is a huge difference between us now and 20 years ago."
Afghan allies of the U.S. doubt that and these letters and numerous reports of the Taliban seeking retribution explain why many Afghans fear the Taliban's return to enforcing its brutal, oppressive rule, reported CNN.
Chaotic Evacuation Process
A number of countries including the U.S. are working to assist interpreters and other Afghans facing imminent danger amid the U.S. withdrawal from the war-torn country, reported ANI.
In July, a former U.S. military translator Sohail Pardis was reportedly dragged out of his vehicle on the outskirts of Kabul and beheaded by the Taliban. Since then, an increasing number of interpreters working for the U.S. military in Afghanistan have been requesting for relocation fearing their safety and security.
Meanwhile, the chaos outside the Hamid Karzai International Airport continues. Thousands of Afghans — many who helped the U.S. during the war — are continuing to crowd Kabul's airport, where the U.S. is conducting evacuation flights, in a bid to escape Taliban rule.
Some 28,000 people have been evacuated since the country fell to the Taliban — including 11,000 in the past 36 hours — Biden said on Sunday. A total of 33,000 people have been evacuated since July before the country fell, he said.
