Inside the secret mission to save the Afghan interpreter who once helped rescue Joe Biden

OCTOBER 13, 2021

THE BIG STORY

Inside the secret mission to save the Afghan interpreter who once helped rescue Joe Biden

Mohammad Aman Khalili (right) with Gen. Dan McNeill at Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan, in 2003 Courtesy Mohammad Aman Khalili

Mohammad Aman Khalili worked as an interpreter in Afghanistan for nine and a half years. He helped rescue then-senator Joe Biden and other senators following a forced helicopter landing in 2008. In recent months, he's been hiding with his wife and five children to avoid persecution from the Taliban.

Now, after weeks of traveling undercover, he and his family have finally escaped the country to reach a military base in Doha, Qatar.

In a two-hour conversation with BuzzFeed News, Khalili recounted his trek out of Afghanistan, much of which still cannot be reported to ensure the safety of those still trying to flee the nation. He shared a harrowing account of controlled chaos, describing checkpoints swarming with Taliban members, US special forces in disguise, and a "very scary" amount of trust in strangers to protect him.

The US began evacuating American citizens and their allies from Afghanistan in late July. But as Taliban forces took control of the country, many Afghan allies who were still waiting on the Special Immigrant Visa program have since been left behind. In August, the New York Times reported that at least 250,000 Afghans who may have been eligible for expedited visas remained in the country.

STAYING ON TOP OF THIS

Congress might blow its biggest opportunity to tackle the climate crisis

Sen. Ed Markey urges his colleagues to fund climate programs at a recent press conference at the US Capitol. Win Mcnamee / Getty Images

Congress's bipartisan infrastructure bill and the Build Back Better reconciliation package could dramatically slash US emissions over the next decade — something that scientists unanimously agree is necessary to avert climate catastrophe. As of right now, Democrats can't agree on whether the cost is worth it.

Environmental programs folded into the two bills are projected to result in almost 1 billion metric tons of emissions reductions just in the year 2030, according to analysis by climate research organization Rhodium Group. For context, these climate savings are equivalent to taking every single vehicle off the road in the US, or wiping out the annual emissions from Texas and Florida combined.

But at this point, it's unclear if any of the climate programs will make it into the final package that Congress will pass. All signs point toward $1-2 trillion being lopped off the reconciliation's initial $3.5 trillion valuation, and it's uncertain if Democrats have enough votes within their party to pass their current agenda.

"It is possible to find middle ground in many areas of politics. I know because I have done it," said Sen. Ed Markey at a press conference last week. "But we cannot compromise on science. There isn't a middle ground between livable and unlivable worlds."

SNAPSHOTS

Gabby Petito died by strangulation, a coroner said. Additionally, Petito's fiancé Brian Laundrie has been missing since Sept. 17, prompting authorities to conduct a weekslong search for him in Florida.

Scared students are using an anonymous Twitter account to blast the lack of COVID-19 protocols at their university. "The administration is not taking Covid seriously. At all," one student told BuzzFeed News. "I really truly believe that the president of the school only has his eyes on the politics of the school, not the students."

Megan Fox opened up about how she was treated in Hollywood and how she had to do "a lot of work" to not "feel like a victim." Speaking to British GQ Style this week, Fox said, "Back then I was hurt — of course I did suffer tremendously — but, you know, I'm not looking for payback. I don't need an apology."

LABOR LAWS REMAKING ICE

The Biden administration is moving to end mass worksite raids that resulted in hundreds of immigrants being arrested

The Biden administration will end mass worksite raids conducted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement that have previously led to the arrests of hundreds of immigrants at a time and thrust workers into deportation proceedings, according to a memo released by the Department of Homeland Security.

The DHS's new policy change remakes how ICE had been operating during the last several years. So-called worksite operations resulted in some of the largest single-day arrests of undocumented immigrants during former president Donald Trump's presidency. In a written statement, the DHS said that the Trump administration's emphasis on mass raids "were used as a tool by exploitative employers to suppress and retaliate against workers' assertion of labor laws."

BOO

Prove yourself with this spooky grammar quiz

Spooked yet? You should be. Anatoliy Cherkasov / NurPhoto via Getty Images

Every so often, the BuzzFeed News copy team puts together a quiz to test the newsroom's grammar knowledge. And with Halloween fast approaching, we thought it'd be fun to merge two of the spookiest things out there: the supernatural and misplaced commas.

Got a passion for BuzzFeed house style? Want to get overly competitive with friends over grammar? This quiz is for you.

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