'I told him I would not give up': Sask. veteran helps Afghan interpreter and family to safety

REGINA -

A Saskatchewan veteran is sharing feelings of relief after an interpreter who helped Canadian troops in Afghanistan and his family successfully escaped to Canada.

On July 31, Gull Lake veteran Steven Stanford received a desperate plea from an interpreter he knew from his deployment in 2008.

Shareef Darwish’s said his dad and brother were killed by the Taliban, as punishment for Darwish’s work with Canadian Forces. He reached out to Stanford, begging for help.

(Courtesy: Steve Stanford)

Immediately, Standford said he started sending out emails to a long list of people, including politicians, government workers, veteran groups and volunteers.

“I was able to provide his email and his phone number to get ahold of him and issue his visa, but it took a long time for it to get to that point because I didn’t even know who to email,” said Stanford.

Darwish was able to get his visa application in, and after a waiting period, he was issued a visa and passport. He was instructed to leave his home in Kandahar and head to the airport in Kabul.

“I applied with [Steve's] letter after two days I got my case approval and I was so happy,” said Darwish in a Facebook message.

Darwish was injured in the process to getting to the Kabul airport.

“In the morning I [tried] to get into the airport and I tried to show them my visa and my passport still they didn’t let me go inside and the Taliban hit me so hard that they broke my hand,” said Darwish in a voice message to Stanford. “I was almost to lose my son because there were too many people and there was no exit.”

Stanford said Darwish had lost all hope, and he felt it was up to him to keep him focused.

“I was stuck between a rock and a hard place, I didn’t know what to do,” said Stanford. “All I could do was tell him like ‘just hang in there, man’, you know, ‘things will get better, I won’t stop.'"

“I told him I would not give up, and I didn’t.”

Stanford said he was left to guide Darwish and his five family members to safety without assistance from the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) or Global Affairs.

In a response to CTV News, IRCC said it is currently working with clients affected by the situation in Afghanistan.

“At IRCC, we continue to communicate directly with clients in Afghanistan and neighbouring countries to provide them with the information they need to make informed decisions. We are also working with our global network to bolster these efforts,” the statement said.

It added that a dedicated email inbox and telephone line have been established to serve Afghan clients who are looking for information and assistance.

In an email, Global Affairs Canada said dozens of responders are working around the clock to assist people in Afghanistan seeking help.

Stanford said he was relieved to find out Darwish and his family had arrived safely in Toronto after a month of hard work. He credits the success of the rescue to other veterans and volunteer groups.

“Without his help, it couldn’t have happened,” said Darwish. “I feel so good that I’m here with my family.”

Stanford said his inbox quickly filled with messages from other interpreters desperate for help, and he said the inboxes of other veterans he knows have also been flooded with messages.

He said veterans were all facing the same issue when it came to trying to help; a lack of information from the Canadian government.

“People are being turned away,” said Stanford. “I just heard one story here a few minutes ago, a family with their visa and passport was turned away.”

As the final Canadian plane has left Kabul, the already small window the veterans had to help was closed, leaving many behind.

The airport was bombed on Thursday, leaving many hoping to flee the country injured or killed.

The scene outside the airport in Kabul on Aug. 26, 2021. (Courtesy: Steven Stanford via an Afghan National Police Officer)

Darwish said the Canadian government should be sending more flights to Afghanistan.

“There is still too many people [who] are stuck in danger that I know.”

On Thursday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said they will continue to work with partners, allies and regional partners to make sure they are doing what they can to bring Afghans to Canada and put pressure on the Taliban to ensure people can leave Afghanistan.

With files from CTVNews.ca’s Sarah Turnbull and the Associate Press.