A former Afghan interpreter, who worked with US troops in Afghanistan for several years, says his family is stranded in Afghanistan and cannot get help despite now being American citizens.
CNN is not identifying this interpreter out of safety concerns.
The interpreter said he has worked with US troops through many life-threatening situations.
“Now, do you think I deserve this? Do my family deserve to go through that kind of situation? Is that what the reward is that I receive? Is that what an American moral is? I take this very, very personally,” he said Friday.
His family went to the airport on Thursday and spent up to eight hours trying to find a way in, but they were unsuccessful and felt that their lives were put in danger, he said.
“This is not the way to evacuate Americans or American allies. We are watched by the world. We are spitting on our own faces. They are American. I am an American. That’s my family,” he added. “I have put 20-plus family members at risk. I have no face to tell them that we are working to rescue you.”
The interpreter said he became a US citizen because “America is dignity. America is generosity. This is not what America is.”
His message to Afghan allies:
“Know that you were the ears, the eyes and the heart of American troops in Afghanistan. American troops would have been deaf, blind if you were not there. American troops left their ears, their eyes and their hearts in Afghanistan.”
The lack of full-throated commitment from the Biden administration to rescue all Afghans who worked with the US troops feels like a disrespect, he said.
“This is a disrespect for me, my service, for thousands and thousands of American soldiers … It’s a shame. I and alongside me all my military families are taking this very, very personally. It’s very painful,” he added.
Watch the full interview: