For weeks, Army veteran Chris McClanathan has worked tirelessly to help his former interpreter escape Afghanistan before the U.S. officially withdrew and the Taliban took over.

       But as the final military plane took off Tuesday, the interpreter — a gregarious 30-year-old man named Romal — remained in hiding in the Kabul area with his wife and mother. The United States, without question, had broken its promise to give Romal and his family safe passage in exchange for his decadelong service to the American cause.

       McClanathan intends to uphold the deal anyway.

       He acknowledges he doesn’t have legal expertise or the political muscle seemingly needed to pull off such a difficult task. But walking away from Romal, whose efforts helped keep American soldiers safe during the war, would be akin to leaving a fellow soldier to die, he said.

       “We’ve been dealt a significant blow, but we’re not giving up,” said McClanathan, who lives in northwest Indiana. “He’s still alive, and he still needs help. As long as he’s still breathing, I’m going to work to get him out.”

       Romal, an Afghan interpreter who spent the past decade working for the U.S. government, was among the thousands of allies left behind when American troops officially withdrew Aug. 31. Without help fleeing his homeland, he says he will die.

       Since U.S. troops invaded Afghanistan in 2001, the government has promised immigration visas to Afghan allies in exchange for their services. Yet when the American military officially withdrew this week, the United States left thousands of Afghan interpreters and their families to fend for themselves under Taliban rule.

       The Tribune recently chronicled McClanathan’s attempts to evacuate Romal, who had applied for a U.S. visa shortly after President Joseph Biden announced plans to withdraw troops by summer’s end. In his application, Romal, whose last name is being withheld for his family’s safety, predicted he would be killed if he stayed in Afghanistan.

       He made the same desperate plea Tuesday in a video message to the Tribune.

       “I am one of the military interpreters to serve many years for the U.S.,” he said. “And I am left behind to die.”

       Interpreters have been the lifeblood of U.S. military operations in Afghanistan for the past two decades, providing cultural insights, muscle and consistency as American troops rotated in and out of the country. Romal, for example, worked gate security at Camp Mike Spann in the northern part of the country and went on patrols with U.S. soldiers for years, assuming all the risks and obligations of a potential firefight.

       He also played the role of peacemaker when local culture clashed with military protocols. A chatty college student who lived in a nearby town at the time, Romal’s friendly demeanor and easy explanations often bridged the divide.

       The camp’s front gate was never attacked during Romal’s tenure, and McClanathan believes his friend’s efforts played a large part. It’s why he’s extraordinarily angry with the United States’ failure to evacuate Romal and others like him who risked their lives. He blames politicians and top-ranking military leaders for allowing this situation to happen.

       “The way we’ve handled this has been a disgrace,” he said. “I don’t know that there will ever be accountability for how badly we messed this up.”

       Army veteran Chris McClanathan takes a call in his home office on Aug. 24, 2021, in Dyer, Indiana, where he's been working to get his Afghan translator Romal out of Kabul. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)

       It’s unclear what Romal’s options are under the current circumstances. The Taliban vowed to keep the airports open for full, unrestricted travel, but he can’t bank on such promises. He’s also considering leaving the country by land, but those journeys present their own risks.

       U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi’s office has communicated with Romal since the Tribune story ran last week and has championed his petition to the White House and U.S. State Department, a spokesman said. Romal is one of more than 100 Afghan citizens — including many military interpreters and their relatives — that the Schaumburg Democrat has been trying to help, communications director Will Baldwin said.

       Krishnamoorthi has been able to help two families evacuate so far, Baldwin said. The effort will be even more difficult now that the U.S. no longer has a military presence.

       “There’s a greater degree of uncertainty,” Baldwin said, “but the congressman will continue to make every effort to get them out.”

       The most likely scenario is Romal and his family would travel first to another country and wait there for their U.S. visa applications to be approved. McClanathan says when that happens, he’ll need to hire an immigration lawyer and raise money to help bring his friend to the United States. It’s another big lift that he says comes with upholding America’s promise.

       Romal said in his video that he believes McClanathan is the key to securing his freedom. But he also pointed out that McClanathan can’t do it alone.

       “There’s only my American mentor to help me,” he said. “I need help from everyone in the United States. Otherwise, I will be killed by the terrorists and the Taliban.”

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