As the U.S. military and the State Department work to evacuate stuck American citizens and Afghan allies from Kabul airport, it is reported that the Taliban are executing people who helped U.S. forces over the years. The Taliban, who took over Afghanistan recently, are said to be going “house-to-house” executing everyone remotely related to the American troops.
According to State Department spokesman Ned Price, the government has received “a small handful of reports” that American citizens could not reach the airport due to the Taliban checkpoints intercepting the roads to freedom and safety.
He also said that there were unconfirmed reports that interpreters and former Afghan military officers were being hunted and killed by the Taliban militants, Fox News reported.
“I’m just not in a position to confirm those details,” Price said, adding, “Every time we see a detail like this, we take it extraordinarily seriously, and we do what we can.”
Afghan executions in detail
Ryan Rogers, a retired Marine sergeant, was cited as saying by Fox News that an unnamed interpreter who has been working with him called to report that commanders from the Afghan National Army who helped the U.S. forces over the years were “hanged” by the militants.
The interpreter, working with Rogers since the 2010 Marjah-Helmand province battle, is reportedly trapped in Afghanistan, while Taliban forces go “house-to-house” while hunting for them.
“He told me yesterday they hung three [Afghan National Army] commanders that they had found. And that close to the place that he’s hiding, they’re going house-to-house and that they sent a transmission out saying they had plans for the people that operated with America,” Rogers shared.
The interpreter is believed to be safe as of Thursday afternoon.
Taliban takeover and reactions from the US forces
Over the past couple of weeks, Taliban militants swept through the country, executing surrendering Afghan soldiers. Shooters in pickup trucks were also seen firing bullets in the streets of Kabul, reports said.
Ohio Republican and Army Reserve officer Rep. Brad Wenstrup expressed extreme disappointment over the whole situation, saying: “In a bipartisan fashion, there’s an extreme disappointment, especially by those that have served. We have lost on this our moral standing in the world, and it’s a sign of weakness rather than strength.”
