Working as an interpreter alongside U.S. forces in Afghanistan for over a decade didn’t quite prepare Ismail Haqmal for life in Texas.
“In Afghanistan, we have a very social life. We socialize a lot,” Ismail said. “It was very hard for us to come here, where life is very individualized. There were a lot of restrictions because we did not have more people to socialize with, and in the beginning, there were not a lot of Afghans around.”
He wondered if the individual lives many Americans lead took a deeper toll.
“A lot of people have mental problems because they don’t have many friends to socialize with,” Haqmal said.
But soon, he began seeing a growing curiosity about Afghan culture among his neighbors in San Antonia, Texas.
“They’ve realized how our culture is, and they got used to it. They love it. They love our food. Now, all of my neighbors on my street know me. We exchange things and invite each other for events or special occasions,” Ismail said. “They really want to study Afghanistan culture. They say, ‘Yeah, that’s a good thing.’ But we innovate in America because we love it, and all need this.”
Ismail’s story as an interpreter with U.S. forces and his move to the U.S. is the subject of “Interpreters Wanted,” a new documentary by U.S. Army veteran and filmmaker Robert Ham.
The documentary details the harrowing experience of Ismail and Saifullah Haqmal, brothers who worked as Ham’s interpreters during his 2009 deployment to Afghanistan. It tells the story of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan — which ended three years ago this week — through their eyes.
“Interpreter’s Wanted” is streaming on VET TV’s website. The site is offering a 2-day free trial to view the documentary for those who sign up using the code “afghanistan.”
“This is a very great story about Afghanistan. At least they can feel and see what is the ordinary life of an Afghan or those who put their life on the line and realize what the situation in Afghanistan is,” Haqmal said. “As long as we can get it to more Americans and more people, that’ll be great. They will realize how important Afghanistan is. That story is not over, and you cannot just say, ‘Okay, forget about Afghanistan.’”
Telling Haqmal’s story, and through him, the story of the end of the Afghan war was Ham’s goal.
“As far as I’m concerned, I want to touch people’s hearts and minds with the story of the brotherhood of those we served with — our allies — and the importance of when we go to war, the main goal is supposedly to win that war and basically created a better space for those people that country,” Ham said. “Now, because we didn’t do that, I think the sacrifice of those we left behind needs to be heard.”
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But Ismail and Saifullah were among the lucky ones. Ismail was able to leave Afghanistan in 2017, three years before the American withdrawal ended at Hamid Karzai International Airport.
This week marks the 3rd anniversary of the chaotic final days of that evacuation.
Ham’s documentary highlights the struggles of Afghan interpreters before and after the withdrawal. Fortunately, he was able to bring Ismail and Saifullah to the U.S. Saifullah, despite several setbacks along the way, arrived in the U.S. in 2016.
Ismail was still stuck in Afghanistan but arrived in the U.S. a year later, giving hope to all of their Afghan interpreters that there is still hope. But the incredibly slow process for Afghan visa approval is leaving many at risk of assassination, and there are over 140,000 Afghans still in danger.
“I’m very disappointed due to the United States policies towards Afghanistan and towards the criminal Taliban. They turn a blind eye to Taliban crimes, and there’s no accountability. They just say, ‘Okay, they’re fine.’” Ismail said. “That is really frustrating for those who worked alongside US forces in Afghanistan. We are losing our brothers and sisters. Those who put their lives in danger, when it’s the US’ turn to help them out, they haven’t. Unfortunately, they are in a very desperate situation, and it’s very hard for them to live. Their life is on the edge of a knife.”
The Taliban is actively searching for any Afghans who assisted the military as they continue to make changes to Afghanistan, including denying education to women. The Taliban’s reach doesn’t stop at the border of Afghanistan either. Some have escaped Afghanistan to Iran and Pakistan, but Ismail said they are not safe.
“Pakistan’s military and their intelligence sharing and cooperation with Taliban allows them to target Afghans in Pakistan as well. Recently, five Afghan commanders were killed in Pakistan. From Pakistan, they went to Iran and then went back to Pakistan and started selling vegetables and fruit, and then they were killed and hung from a power pole. That was not the one example. Thousands of people are being killed, and their stories are not making it into the media because there’s a crackdown.”
The non-profit “No One Left Behind” is a leading organization that rescues America’s Afghan allies to safety in the U.S. According to its website, over 140,000 Afghans are in danger. In 2023, it rescued 2,847 Afghan allies, set a goal of 7,000 in 2024, and, so far this year, rescued 1,292 Afghan allies.
“They’ve been doing a lot of work in this space for a long time and pushing for a wider understanding of the Afghan Adjustment Act, specifically surrounding how many interpreters still need to qualify for SIVs and who can get into America,” Ham said. “There’s still tens of thousands left behind. So, the biggest goal of ‘Interpreters Wanted’ is, how do we get those who deserve to be here through the process as quickly as possible.”