Former U.S. military interpreter shares update on his family’s safety in Afghanistan

By SARAH HURWITZ

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    PORTLAND, OR (KPTV) — FOX 12 first reported about him in August: An Oregon man and former United States military interpreter from Afghanistan was desperate to get his family out as the Taliban took over the country.

Now, he credits that story in helping get one of his brothers out of danger.

When he spoke to FOX 12 previously, he was silhouetted and went by the name John.

On Tuesday, he spoke to FOX 12 without a disguise and shared his name, Nasirullah Safi.

“That was the very beginning, you know, everything was pretty chaotic. It’s still pretty chaotic,” Safi said. “I was so scared for my family.”

As a former U.S. military interpreter from Afghanistan, Safi wanted to protect his family and remain anonymous.

But as he revealed himself on Tuesday, he shared gratitude as he says the story FOX 12 previously reported opened doors for him to get the word out about his family and get one of his brothers out of the country.

“I’m very thankful, and I will remain thankful for the rest of my life. When I talk to people, I basically tell them that KPTV FOX 12 saved one of my brothers,” Safi said. “So many people heard my story. So many people contacted me. And I reached out to both state representatives and congresswomen from the great state of Oregon, and they got back to me right away … They’ve been helping, and they’ve been supporting me.”

While Safi said one of his brothers is out of danger, the rest of his family remains in Afghanistan.

Last week, he said the Taliban ransacked their home.

“They took the money. They humiliated and intimidated my parents, who are in their 70s,” Safi said. “They were terrified. My family members, my sisters, and the kids were at home.”

Safi said no one was physically hurt during the ransacking.

His brothers, who he said also worked for American troops, were not there at the time.

If they were, Safi fears he would’ve lost his family.

“I can’t get enough sleep, you know. I just can’t fall asleep so easily because you know you’re constantly thinking about them,” Safi said. “You just don’t know what can happen to them. You just don’t know what tomorrow is holding for them.”

Safi is still working on getting the rest of his family out of Afghanistan.

He recently wrote a book called “Get the Terp Up Here!: War as an Interpreter to U.S. Forces in Afghanistan.”

Safi said whatever he makes on the book will go toward his brother’s resettlement.

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