‘I’m in hiding, not only me but other colleagues. There’s still some gunfire at night-time. We are living in horror. I’m running out of cash with my family’

Mahmood* is an Afghan interpreter who worked for New Zealand forces during their deployment in Afghanistan. He made a number of applications to the New Zealand government to immigrate over the past several years, but was turned down each time.

As Kabul fell, the New Zealand government issued him and a group of at least 37 other interpreters, labourers and workers who had assisted New Zealand forces with emergency evacuation visas. That about-face came too late: one day later, New Zealand ended its evacuation flights from Kabul, leaving hundreds behind.

Here he explains what has happened over the past week, as occupied forces left the capital.

 

Afghanistan: Taliban expected to announce new government

Moving to Kabul

We got out of [our home province] several weeks ago and we came to Kabul. There, Taliban have started trying to find us. Because people in the community have known us for decades, they know that we have worked directly for and engaged with the New Zealand defence force. Fortunately, we are in Kabul.

That’s why we all have left. The people who have worked in different capacities – as an interpreter, a labourer, a trash guy or any capacity – have left already and are living in hiding in Kabul. Here, we can change our location from time to time and there are 6 million people living here – it’s harder for them to identify us. Anxiety is growing inside me. I still don’t know if I’m on the list of people [that New Zealand has approved for evacuations] or not. Time is running out fast. My anxiety is growing and growing.

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Thursday

[When I hear I am on the list] I start erasing all social media accounts right away, erasing all accounts for the time being because I fear them being checked in checkpoints.

On Thursday, our visas are issued. I’m relieved. I and some of my other colleagues go to the airport. We were there to see if we could find a way to get into the airport, but we were faced with lots of crowds and gunfire. We went to each gate of the airport to see if there were any foreign nationals that we could show our visas and documents to, so that they could get us. But we could not. So we departed from the airport and came back to our homes, where we are hiding.

Almost half an hour after we left the airport, we heard that there was a heavy explosion. Many people were killed. According to different reports, 100 Afghans and 13 American Marines were killed there [the death toll is now more than 170]. We never expected that, it was so shocking for us. We were fortunate that we had left the airport. Otherwise, we would be dead today.

 

Afghanistan resistance fighters clash with Taliban in Panjshir valley

Friday

One day after the explosion, we heard that New Zealand has ended its evacuation from Afghanistan. We weren’t told directly by the government. We came to know that by the media.

Specifically, we heard the prime minister implying that “we have successfully ended our operation and got our New Zealand citizens, and those who have helped NZDF directly”. But that was not the case. We were on the government’s priority list, we were supposed to be evacuated, and this news was shocking for us because none of us – me or my 37 colleagues with their immediate families – have been evacuated.

I kept asking: what will happen to us? We are stuck in limbo, we are in darkness. Is there any hope for us in the future? What will be our destiny, what will happen to our destiny? What will happen to us – will the government take care of us or not?

Monday

I find out that the allied countries – the United States, UK, France, Germany and other Nato countries – have ended their evacuation. But the question is: many Afghan partners who have worked with the different forces have been left behind. I know that many Afghans from other allied forces have made it. But we know the group who worked for New Zealand, none of us have been evacuated.

Tuesday 

In the night-time, there was heavy gunfire and shelling. For one hour I was shaking, and I was not able to talk directly. I was shivering, so my voice was somehow trembling. We are panicked, we are terrified. I didn’t know that the Taliban were celebrating their so-called victory. It was very terrible.

Still I’m in hiding, not only me but other colleagues.There’s still some gunfire at night-time. We are living in horror.

I’m running out of cash with my family. I went out to the bank, to see if I can withdraw some cash, because now it’s been a month of being here in Kabul, and our family’s cash is running out and we are starving. So I went to the bank from 7am to 2 o’clock. There were thousands of people who rushed there and long queues.

The Taliban have said you can withdraw cash – $200 on a weekly basis – but it seems impossible right now because thousands are there. I was not able to withdraw any. While going to the bank I saw many Taliban groups on the streets and in cars.

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At the bank it’s hard for [the Taliban] to manage all the people. When they were unable to manage them they just started firing, shooting gunfire into the air. There were children, there were women on the streets and they were terrified, crying.

Wednesday

During the day now I just hide. Most of the time I’m trying to communicate with people in New Zealand, trying to see what our next option is. I have nothing else to do, just staying at home all day hiding with the family. I can go out, covering my head with a scarf, but I do fear for my safety. I have already grown a beard and moustache. That’s how I’m living.

Thursday

People here fear for their lives. They don’t see any future here, especially the girls. You can see the Taliban groups on the streets, heavily armed, holding guns, as it used to be. It’s terrifying for people to see them.

I have seen many people who have came to the cities, selling their household stuff, selling everything at a lower prices so that they could get out of the country. Thousands have poured to the Afghan neighbouring borders, specifically Iran and Pakistan. So they think that there is no living here – they cannot breathe any more.

We are tired of reaching out to the media. We will try to be patient – I hope there is a plan in the near future for us, through humanitarian means like talking to UN agencies, or if the other allied countries take some steps. I expect the New Zealand government to not leave us behind because we have stood with the New Zealand government and we deserve that.

I can’t sleep any more at night because every hour or so there is gunfire. Harsh fighting is apparently going on in Panjshir province, the only province which has not fallen to the Taliban yet. If the resistance continues, soon there will be a bloodbath – a civil war is likely to take place. What I hope is for the New Zealand government to make the right decisions for us as soon as possible – a second evacuation that can take us out safely before it’s too late.