Taliban Shows No Mercy, Allegedly Beheads Translator Who Worked For US Military

A 32-year-old translator, who helped the US military in Afghanistan, was reportedly beheaded by Taliban extremists.

Sohail Pardis was hired as a translator by the US Army for 16 months. His services were terminated in 2012. On May 12, he was on his way home when he was stopped at a Taliban checkpoint and was reportedly murdered while trying to cross it, according to The Sun.

Prior to his death, Pardis had told his friend that he was getting death threats from the Taliban after they found that he had worked as a translator for the US Army. His friend and colleague Abdulhaq Ayoubi told CNN that Taliban extremists called Pardis an American spy, and threatened to kill him and his family.

According to witnesses, the Taliban shot Pardis' car. Later they dragged him out of the car and beheaded him. This comes after the Taliban said in a statement in June that it would not hurt people who helped foreign forces. A Taliban spokesperson said that they were trying to verify the details of Pardis' death, but pointed out that some incidents are not what they hev been portrayed to be.

Some translators said that they are scared as the Taliban is reportedly in revenge mode after the US withdrawal from Afghanistan. At the peak of the 20-year long war, there were about 100,000 US soldiers in Afghanistan.

Approximately 18,000 Afghans who helped the US Army have tried for a Special Immigrant Visa program. It would allow them to enter the US. Last week, a Pentagon spokesperson said that the Defense Department "is considering options" where Afghan citizens and their families could be relocated.

Meanwhile, Pardis' 9-year-old daughter is being taken care of by the deceased's brother, Najibulla Sahak. He said they had to leave their house in Kabul for safety reasons.

There are several Afghan translators whose contracts got terminated. They fear that if they stay in their own country, they will end up like Pardis.

Earlier this month, US President Joe Biden promised to evacuate Afghan interpreters and their families who helped American soldiers in Afghanistan. According to a US Embassy spokesperson in Kabul, they are trying to ensure that they can help those who helped them in past.