DENVER — A Colorado man says his brother will likely be killed by the Taliban if he is not rescued by the Aug. 31 deadline.
"He's running for his life," said Mohammad, who only shared his first name for fear of retaliation against his family in Afghanistan. "If we will not help him to get out of Afghanistan, he will be killed."
His brother worked for U.S. military forces in Afghanistan for four years. The Taliban has already made threats against his life.
"He can't go home because there's people actively looking for him right now," Mohammad said. "It's just like somebody who has been sentenced to be executed, and I am just counting the seconds."
The Taliban has insisted the airlift must end by midnight on Aug. 31, and American negotiators have agreed to that deadline. Though U.S. diplomats are confident that most Americans will be able to flee the country, there is no such confidence for Afghans who helped U.S. forces.
"In the military, we had one thing always that we don't leave our friends behind," Mohammad said. "The people who fought the enemies of the United States side by side with the U.S. troops, they don't deserve to be left behind."