CNN on Plight of Afghan Interpreters Terminated for Failing Polygraphs

Abdul Rashid Shirzad: Terminated for failing a polygraph “test” and denied Special Immigrant Visa

In a report presented by foreign correspondent Anna Coren, CNN chronicles the plight of Afghan linguists who served with United States forces but have been denied Special Immigrant Visas. Both interpreters showcased in the video report were fired because they failed pseudoscientific polygraph “tests.”

The following is an excerpt from the written article accompanying the video report:

Abdul Rashid Shirzad…served for five years as a linguist working alongside America’s military elite, translating for US Special Forces.

He showed CNN photographs of his time on missions in the Kejran Valley in Uruzgan province working with the US Navy’s SEAL Team 10. But according to Shirzad, his service has now amounted to a death sentence. The US government rejected his Special Immigrant Visa, and he said that’s made him a target for the Taliban.

“If they catch me they’re going to kill me, kill my kids and my wife too. It’s payback time for them you know,” he said.

The father of three said his contract with the US military was terminated in 2014 after he also failed a polygraph test. He had applied for his visa the year before.

But Shirzad’s letters of recommendation from SEAL commanders, seen by CNN, reflect a translator who went above and beyond duty. They describe him as a “valuable and necessary asset” who “braved enemy fire” and “undoubtedly saved the lives of Americans and Afghans alike.”

Shirzad said he was excited to work with the Americans, and became a lead liaison between US and Afghan Special Forces. One recommendation letter for the visa, from a US commander, described how Shirzad took part in 63 “high-risk direct action combat missions” and was “vital” to the success of his team’s operations. It detailed how he helped the recovery of a team member who was caught in a blast and left with life threatening injuries.

Shirzad said he has no idea what he did wrong and never received an explanation for his termination. His visa rejection letter from the US Embassy stated “lack of faithful and valuable service.”

Sohail Pardis with U.S. Army colonel
(Source: Afghans Left Behind Association, @AllieLeft on Twitter)

The situation for the second interpreter showcased, Sohail Pardis, is more grim. Pardis worked as an interpreter for U.S. military contractor Mission Essential Personnel from 17 May 2011 until 18 August 2012 when, as CNN reports, he was terminated after failing a polygraph “test.” Pardis was subsequently denied a Special Immigrant Visa.

Mission Essential Personnel letter regarding Sohail Pardis’ employment
(Source: Afghans Left Behind Association, @AllieLeft on Twitter)

According to family members, on 12 May 2021, the Taliban stopped Pardis at a checkpoint, dragged him out of his car, and beheaded him. CNN showed a blurred copy of the following photograph, which we believe readers should see unedited:

Sohail Pardis’ corpse
(Source: Afghans Left Behind Association, @AllieLeft on Twitter)

CNN correspondent Anna Coren spoke with Pardis’ friend and fellow Special Immigrant Visa reject Abdulhaq Ayoubi and visited Pardis’ gravesite. The video report may be viewed here.

Numerous other Afghan interpreters who served honorably with U.S. forces have been denied Special Immigrant Visas because of failed polygraph “tests.” (See our article from last week, Afghan Interpreters Denied Special Immigrant Visas Based on Polygraph Results.)

It is unconscionable that Special Immigrant Visas are being denied based on polygraph outcomes. In 2002, the National Academy of Sciences completed a thorough review of the scientific evidence on polygraphs and advised that “[polygraph testing’s] accuracy in distinguishing actual or potential security violators from innocent test takers is insufficient to justify reliance on its use in employee security screening in federal agencies.”

Please write to President Biden and your members of Congress and urge them to reverse this policy. See Special Immigrant Visas Should Not Be Denied Based on Polygraph Results on the Action Alerts forum of the AntiPolygraph.org message board for links and suggested wordings.

Comments 5

  • We were denied by #SIV & left behind because of termination/CI/Polygraph, lack of recommendation/HR Letters, less employment period of time & so on. The anti US Elements hate us till death and it’s impossible for us in our homeland to live safely.
    We still are not acceptable to both sides, we have worked with the US and they terminated us for no reason.
    We helped US Troops and now our lives are in danger till death, We could see no one to stand for us, now we are helpless, we also have rights to live peacefully, Our children also have desires to be educated and breathe in a normal environment.
    Evacuation will happen for all the Allies Left Behind.
    We have many appreciation certificates and medals for our loyalty, but they left us to the revenge of #Taliban to be slaughtered.
    Our kids have dreams for a brighter future. Please don’t change their dreams to nightmares by abandoning us to #Taliban & extremism. We want to stick to democracy not radicalism & fanaticism.

  • I was interpreter with U.S. Army 11B in kandahar province/ afghanistan, my supervisor Dan mayberry that he was prior sergeant as an 11B in U.S. Army in afghanistan 2008 referrals me to p2 program, but I am still in afghanistan because I falied in /CI/Polygraph I am under a lot of threats and my life is in danger, I don’t know what to do, in this seven months when the taliban came to kabul and kabul fail I emailed to a lot of organizations and department of state but they don’t reply,
    Please help me that I leave Afghanistan. If I don’t leave, they will kill me very brutally.
    This is the last hope please hear my voice? I have been proud to work with your army, and I am currently in a bad situation
    Please help me and my family

    Your assistance is greatly appreciated.

  • Many honest interpreters were left behind due to CI polygraph which is nonsense. The worst case scenario is that many people who have not worked with US army but worked in sub- contractors, now allowed to get SIV. we kindly ask US government to change the decision and not to leave us behind.

  • Hello dear sir or ma’am:

    I WAS LINGUIST WITH US AND ALBSOF FOR OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM IN SPIN BOLDAK AFGHANISTAN.
    I STILL LEFT BEHIND here IN AFGHANISTAN
    I NEED A CLEAR HR LETTER FOR MY SIV PENDING CASE.
    YOU CAN CHECK THE DATE BROTHER THE DAY WHICH I HAD CI SCREENING I WAS ON MISSION WITH US ARMY LT MAILER
    USUALLY I TOOK CI SCREENING DURING DUTY AND I AM ALWAYS READY FOR CI SCREENING RIGHT NOW TOO.
    IT WAS JUST MISSUNDERSTANDING BETWEEN ME AND MY POC GUZMAN
    I DON’T HAVE ANY CONTACT NUMBER OF MY ALBSOF UNITE TO INFORM THEM REGARDING MY CASE
    I ALLREADY BEATEN BY INSURGENTS AND LIVING IN FEAR
    I NEED YOUR MORE HELP TO CLEAR MY RECORD OR HAVE ME A GOOD ADVICE TO RESCUE OUR LIFES
    HAVE A GOOD ONE
    THANKS
    WITH VERY RESPECTFULLY

  • I am in iraq and failed in polygraph so i was fired. I failed polygraph because i ate too much in lunch n thus it increased my heart beating. Please don’t blacklist me n consider me spy or terrorist. I am honest person n never betrayed my employer throughout my life.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *