HOUSTON — As the situation in Afghanistan intensifies, those inside are reaching out for help. One Houston veteran who served in Afghanistan explained how some of those who helped him most are fearing for their lives.
“Please help me and my family,” is just one of several chilling messages U.S. Army veteran Jason Short has received since the Taliban’s takeover in Afghanistan.
“I’m really just devastated,” Short said. “I try to put myself in their shoes, and you can’t.”
He said six families he knows -- including two of his former translators who worked for the U.S. or Afghan government -- are stuck in Afghanistan sending him their personal documents, hoping he can help them get out.
They say the Taliban is threatening their lives for helping the U.S.
“We couldn’t do our job without them,” Short said.
On Thursday, 13 service members and at least 90 Afghans were killed by a suicide bomb outside of the Kabul airport. So far, the U.S. has airlifted or evacuated more than 100,000 people.
Short is calling on the government to find a way to get his former comrades and their families out, too, saying it’s the U.S.’ responsibility.
“We just don’t know what’s going to happen to them,” Short said. “Maybe we do know. We just don’t want to think about that we are the reason for that.”
As a veteran, he believes helping others is our country’s mission.
“Doing the right thing. Fighting for democracy. That’s what we do,” Short said.
The deadline to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan remains Aug. 31, according to the Biden administration. But it’s unclear what will happen if this violence continues.