Afghan interpreter stuck in Ukraine faces another potential war after escaping Taliban

KYIV —
Fate saved Jawed Ahmad Haqmal from one war and vaulted him to the frontlines of what may be another.

The Afghan interpreter, who assisted the Canadian military during the war, has been stuck in Ukraine’s capital city, Kyiv, for five agonizing months, crammed into several small hotel rooms with his four children and seven other relatives.

“Imagine if you or your family [were] in this situation, just make a picture from this. How difficult it is,” Haqmal told CTV National News.

Last August, Haqmal and his family were evacuated from Kabul, Afghanistan, by Ukrainian forces after Canada cut short its own evacuation from the country following the Taliban’s takeover.

During the war, Haqmal intercepted a radio transmission, pretending he was a Taliban commander, to stop a planned ambush. His work saved the lives of Canadian soldiers, and would later put himself and his family at risk of Taliban arrest or worse.

“They just use us. Now they’ve forgotten us,” he said.

Now, on the brink of a possible Russian invasion, Haqmal is once again fearful for his family’s safety, his application to resettle in Canada tangled in bureaucratic red tape, like thousands of others.

Making matters worse, the 33-year-old has no money and an expired Ukrainian humanitarian visa, meaning he could be deported.

“At least it was my country, I knew to talk with someone. I knew where to run,” he said.

On Thursday, the U.S. accused the Kremlin of an elaborate plot to fabricate an attack by Ukrainian forces that Russia could use as a pretext to take military action against its neighbour.

Meanwhile, NATO has warned that Moscow’s military buildup continues, with more troops and military equipment deployed to neighbouring Belarus than at any time in the last 30 years.

In Kyiv, the military is readying its vast network of bunkers that can house about 320 people in the event of danger.

It’s a threat Haqmal is all too familiar with—and wishes he could spare the baby he and his wife are expecting in the spring.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) typically doesn’t share information about specific cases for privacy reasons. However, CTV National News, received Haqmal’s permission to make inquiries on his behalf and offered to share that recording with the IRCC.

CTV News received a response, but the IRCC did not offer any specific information about Haqmal’s case.

– With files from The Associated Press