Tampa man continues effort to extract Afghan interpreters after official US departure

Effort to get Afghan interpreters out becomes more difficult

Jordan Bowen reports

TAMPA, Fla. - A Tampa man who worked in Afghanistan has been helping several Afghan translators find asylum.

He's written more than 20 recommendation letters for translators who helped the United States during the war, in hopes of getting them out of the country before it's too late. However, the recent attack at the airport made the process much more difficult.

A deadly attack at Kabul's Hamid Karzai Airport, which killed 13 U.S. soldiers and scores of Afghans, coupled with the U.S. military officially leaving the country, has now made leaving nearly impossible for many still in danger.

"Now they're in hiding in Kabul. They're hiding in other provinces. At least two maybe three have already heard that people have been knocking on their doors," former state department contractor George Brooks said.

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Brooks spent more than a year working in Afghanistan back in 2011 through a contract with U.S.A.I.D. under the state department. He worked with about 25 different translators helping to teach Afghans how to build schools and office buildings.

Now, he's trying to help them get to safety.

"If they can get themselves to an embassy outside the US they can seek asylum so in a way there's less paperwork now it's just far more harrowing to get outside the country," Brooks said.

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It means at this point Brooks is likely their best bet. Since July, he's written 21 recommendation letters for them, which is one of the requirements to seek asylum.

Before Thursday's attack, the translators were submitting their airport to the embassy at the airport, but now that it's gone it has many standing by their email waiting for anything from the State Department to come in.

Also, holding them back is their priority level. While they may be well-known in Afghanistan because of their work with the U.S. Brooks guys were never armed meaning they're considered the least in danger and a lower priority.

Helping Afghanistan interpretors

A Tampa man with ties to Afghanistan is working hard to help Afghan translators find aslyum. FOX 13's Jordan Bowen has more on his efforts and how it's helping get people to safety.

Brooks feels hopeful the Biden Administration can work out a way for people who are in danger to get out.

"As long as we don't give up attempts to find ways to get them out. I don't know how we could do better than that under these terrible circumstances," Brooks said.