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Who Gets Left Behind In Afghanistan?

An Afghan interpreter working with the 101st Airborne Division Alpha Battery 1-320th.
An Afghan interpreter working with the 101st Airborne Division Alpha Battery 1-320th.

In a recent article for The Atlantic, George Packer wrote, “Our abandonment of the Afghans who helped us, counted on us, and staked their lives on us is a final, gratuitous shame that we could have avoided.”

In June, President Joe Biden said those who helped the U.S. military would not be “left behind.” He vowed his administration would step up plans to evacuate thousands of Afghan interpreters.

Now that the Taliban is back in control of the country, thousands remained trapped. Can the president deliver on his promise? What happens to those who get left behind?

 

Copyright 2021 WAMU 88.5

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