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Twelve Afghan translators reached out to Lithuanian leaders this week for help.
In a letter to the president, prime minister and other government officials, they say that in 2005-2013 Lithuanian soldiers collected information from local authorities, mediated communications with the Afghan police and army, participated in intelligence meetings, attended to local police and military exercises. and even participated in military operations against the Taliban.
According to them, if NATO forces leave Afghanistan, the Taliban could take even more control of the Afghan territory, and the translators, as former “collaborators of the occupying forces”, are the first target.
Minister: help will be
Minister of National Defense Arvydas Anušauskas 15 minutes He assured that Lithuania would not leave the fate of these people to their will.
“They are writing to help get out of Afghanistan, and I think help will be provided,” he added. 15 minutes said the minister.
“Because people helped us, it remains an important moral obligation,” said A. Anušauskas.
According to him, in the past, the Ministry of National Defense had formally responded to such letters and given a standard response: there was a contract, it was fulfilled, the money was paid and that’s it.
“But that was a few years ago and the situation in Afghanistan was a bit different and the international forces in Afghanistan were. The forces are now withdrawing and some NATO countries, such as the UK, are making decisions to assess the threats. emerging countries in order to provide asylum to those countries in the countries with which they have cooperated ”, said the Minister of National Defense.
Photo by ARAM / Arvydas Anušauskas
A. Anušauskas also said that he had discussed the letter received with Foreign Minister Gabriel Landsbergis and confirmed that the political will to provide assistance is.
“Of course, this is not automatically our decision to meet and decide, other institutions are involved here, the Ministry of the Interior, the Department of Migration and so on, more people are involved in the process,” he added.
According to him, in the near future the KAM will verify the available data and determine whether all the signatories of the letter were army translators, after all the preparation procedures, the decision to provide assistance will be made.
The minister also stressed that he could not yet say what actions would be necessary if the translators wanted to move to Lithuania and if they would be granted asylum; so far only aid to get out of Afghanistan has been discussed.
“They would cut off their heads”
This week, 12 former translators sent a letter to President Gitan Nausėda, Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonyte, National Defense Minister A. Anušauskas, Interior Minister Agne Bilotaitė and members of the Seimas.
“We have also received many threats from Taliban fighters. The Lithuanian army was aware of the threats because we constantly denounced them to the intelligence of the Provincial Reconstruction Team,” the letter said.
“When the Provincial Reconstruction Team left Gora, the threats increased, even the locals hated the former translators. Due to the increased danger in Ghowr province, all former translators were forced to relocate to other parts of Afghanistan, and three translators traveled to Europe illegally recently due to threats received. Those of us who stayed in Afghanistan were unable to travel to Europe due to the bad economic situation, “the statement read.
They would behead all the translators and their families.
The translators attest that their concerns were transferred to the outgoing leaders of the Provincial Reconstruction Team, but then the situation became more favorable and the threat was not taken as seriously.
They say that now that NATO forces are leaving Afghanistan, the Taliban could take even more control of Afghan territory.
“They cut off the heads of all the translators and their families. We are in a really bad situation, there is nothing we can do to protect our lives (…) it is a matter of life and death for the former translators of the Lithuanian Armed Forces, ”the letter says.
“The US and NATO forces will leave Afghanistan in about two months, that is the time that we, the former translators of the Lithuanian army, have to save our lives. During those two months, we await the help of the Lithuanian institutions”, it reads on the letter.
Andrius Vaitkevičius / 15min photo / Lithuanian soldiers in Afghanistan
“We put our lives in danger while working with the Lithuanian army and we did great work for their country, and their mission would not have been possible without our support. Now we really need your help to save our lives. The Taliban will kill us and / or our relatives, “the men ask for help.
“If we could live safely in our own country, we would not ask for your help, but now we are just trying to survive. Please help us get out of Afghanistan, “they say.
The US administration announced a few weeks ago plans to evacuate thousands of translators who have been working for an international coalition force in Afghanistan for the past two decades.
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