ǿմý

Skip to main content

Afghan interpreter stuck in Ukraine faces another potential war after escaping Taliban

Share
KYIV -

Fate saved Jawed Ahmad Haqmal from one war and vaulted him to the frontlines of what may be another.

The Afghan interpreter, who assisted the Canadian military during the war, has been stuck in Ukraine’s capital city, Kyiv, for five agonizing months, crammed into several small hotel rooms with his four children and seven other relatives.

“Imagine if you or your family [were] in this situation, just make a picture from this. How difficult it is,” Haqmal told CTV National News.

Last August, Haqmal and his family were evacuated from Kabul, Afghanistan, by Ukrainian forces after Canada cut short its own evacuation from the country following the Taliban’s takeover.

During the war, Haqmal intercepted a radio transmission, pretending he was a Taliban commander, to stop a planned ambush. His work saved the lives of Canadian soldiers, and would later put himself and his family at risk of Taliban arrest or worse.

“They just use us. Now they’ve forgotten us,” he said.

Now, on the brink of a possible Russian invasion, Haqmal is once again fearful for his family’s safety, his application to resettle in Canada tangled in bureaucratic red tape, like thousands of others.

Making matters worse, the 33-year-old has no money and an expired Ukrainian humanitarian visa, meaning he could be deported.

“At least it was my country, I knew to talk with someone. I knew where to run,” he said.

On Thursday, the U.S. accused the Kremlin of an elaborate plot to fabricate an attack by Ukrainian forces that Russia could use as a pretext to take military action against its neighbour.

Meanwhile, NATO has warned that Moscow's military buildup continues, with more troops and military equipment deployed to neighbouring Belarus than at any time in the last 30 years.

In Kyiv, the military is readying its vast network of bunkers that can house about 320 people in the event of danger.

It’s a threat Haqmal is all too familiar with—and wishes he could spare the baby he and his wife are expecting in the spring.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) typically doesn’t share information about specific cases for privacy reasons. However, CTV National News, received Haqmal’s permission to make inquiries on his behalf and offered to share that recording with the IRCC.

CTV News received a response, but the IRCC did not offer any specific information about Haqmal’s case.

- With files from The Associated Press 

CTVNews.ca ǿմý

Three men were injured after trying to subdue a man armed with a knife during afternoon prayers at a Montreal-area mosque Friday afternoon.

Police have arrested an 18-year-old woman who allegedly stole a Porsche and then ran over its owner in an incident that was captured on video.

Since she was a young girl growing up in Vancouver, Ginny Lam says her mom Yat Hei Law made it very clear she favoured her son William, because he was her male heir.

A 15-year-old boy who was the subject of an emergency alert in New Brunswick has been arrested.

The search for a missing six-year-old boy in Shamattawa is continuing Friday as RCMP hope recent tips can help lead to a happy conclusion.

Advocates have identified the woman who died this week after being shot by police in Surrey, B.C., as a South American refugee who was raising a young daughter.

Provincial police investigating the death of a cat that was allegedly set on fire in Orillia earlier this week released surveillance video of a person of interest in the case.

Local Spotlight

Getting a photograph of a rainbow? Common. Getting a photo of a lightning strike? Rare. Getting a photo of both at the same time? Extremely rare, but it happened to a Manitoba photographer this week.

An anonymous business owner paid off the mortgage for a New Brunswick not-for-profit.

They say a dog is a man’s best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.

A growing group of brides and wedding photographers from across the province say they have been taken for tens of thousands of dollars by a Barrie, Ont. wedding photographer.

Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.

The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.

It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.

A Good Samaritan in New Brunswick has replaced a man's stolen bottle cart so he can continue to collect cans and bottles in his Moncton neighbourhood.