Thread by @StorytellerSBM

THREAD 👇

This is Zia Ghafoori. He was just a teenager when he signed up to be an interpreter for #SpecialForces soldiers fighting in #Afghanistan, a choice that drew a target on his back.

Full story: bit.ly/2us4RmC

@USASOCNews @3rdSFGroup @5thForces @USArmy "I want people to understand the sacrifice these guys made." - retired #GreenBeret Major David Smyth

@USASOCNews @3rdSFGroup @5thForces @USArmy Ghafoori was granted his SIV in 2014 and now lives in Charlotte with his wife and four children. But 19,000 #Afghan applicants are still waiting for the @StateDept decide their fate.

@USASOCNews @3rdSFGroup @5thForces @USArmy Smyth wrote this letter to recommend his interpreter for an SIV in September.

"He has done more for the US than most Americans will ever do for their country."

But so far he's received no response from @StateDept and he waits in Kabul.

@USASOCNews @3rdSFGroup @5thForces @USArmy @StateDept Since 2015, congress has made 22,500 SIV spots available to Afghans who worked for the United States. As of June 2019, 13,000 had been granted.

@USASOCNews @3rdSFGroup @5thForces @USArmy @StateDept Of the 19,000 #Afghans who have submitted their applications, 40% are only in step one of the lengthy @StateDept process.

@USASOCNews @3rdSFGroup @5thForces @USArmy @StateDept It can be tough for these interpreters to track down valid paperwork and get recommendation letters from the Americans they worked for. Even harder as various outposts and FOBs close across the country.

@USASOCNews @3rdSFGroup @5thForces @USArmy @StateDept Smyth believes time is running out for U.S. interpreters still living in #Afghanistan.

"Really we need to move with a sense of urgency."

@USASOCNews @3rdSFGroup @5thForces @USArmy @StateDept It's important to note how integral these interpreters have been to mission of the United States - but the good ones also become apart of the team. To this day, Ghafoori calls the @USASOCNews soldiers he served alongside "his brothers."

@USASOCNews @3rdSFGroup @5thForces @USArmy @StateDept And to end this thread, an announcement:

Ghafoori will become a U.S. citizen this week. And you'll be hard-pressed to find anyone more deserving of that title.

Full story: bit.ly/2us4RmC