Afghanistan is back to where it was in 2001: Afghan translator
Saboor Sakhizada and Fox News' Pete Hegseth discusses the 'troubling issues' that have emerged in Afghanistan since the U.S. withdrew all military presence in 2021
Saboor Sakhizada, a former Afghan translator, warned that troubling issues are reemerging in Afghanistan as a result of the U.S. withdrawal in August 2021, and it could present an opportunity for terrorism to rise in the region.
Sakhizada worked with U.S. forces, including Fox News’ Pete Hegseth, from 2007 until 2014 before becoming an American citizen.
He warned of a humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan with widespread starvation, poverty and threats to women’s rights, particularly in girls’ access to education.
"Afghanistan is back to where we started prior to 2001," Sakhizada said on "Fox & Friends" Thursday.
KANDAHAR, AFGHANISTAN - NOVEMBER 8: Taliban holds a military parade with equipment captured from U.S. army in Kandahar, Afghanistan on November 8, 2021. (Photo by Murteza Khaliqi/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
He said much of the international community is "turning a blind eye" to what is happening in Afghanistan, allowing terrorists to revert to previous activity.
"Fox & Friends Weekend" co-host Pete Hegseth echoed concerns about Taliban activity. After speaking with Afghan allies, Hegseth said there is no "Taliban 2.0."
"They're not going to change their stripes. We know exactly who they are," he told host Brian Kilmeade. "They’re going to target their political opponents as they did and as they continue to do, both through weaponizing food and hunting down people."
Hegseth blamed "chaos and failure" during the U.S. withdrawal for the Taliban’s resurgence.
He said America betrayed many Afghan allies who were not evacuated.
"We left a lot behind," Hegseth said.
"This administration turned their backs on our allies and on the sacrifices of 20 years."
Sakhizada said there’s a sense of moral and ethical obligation to uphold the promises to rescue Afghan allies, but he noted that decisions during the withdrawal were poorly managed and ultimately led to the current problems.
Hegseth explained that he wanted the 20-year war in Afghanistan to end, but the results could have been different.
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"It was prerogatives in Washington that led this to failure," Hegseth said. "Decisions that were made to rush it, to collaborate with the Taliban that led to American deaths and a stain on America's reputation in the world."
"But now we have a new enemy in Afghanistan," he said.