Save Joe Biden From Assault In Afghanistan's Snowy Valley, This Translator Evacuated The United States

Aman Khalili (third from right) with his family. (Source: Human First Coalition/Safi Rauf via BBC)

JAKARTA - An Afghan translator who helped rescue senator Joe Biden from rural Afghanistan has managed to leave the region with his family.

In 2008, a blizzard forced a military helicopter carrying Senator Joe Biden and other US lawmakers to land in a snowy valley, where they were vulnerable to ambush.

Aman Khalili was among the Afghan officials of the United States Government who brought Senator Joe Biden and the group to safety.

Since August, when the Taliban succeeded in taking Kabul on August 15, forcing the United States and its allies to evacuate at the end of the month, he has asked for help with visa issues to leave.

He now joins thousands of Afghans who have fled the country to escape living under Taliban rule.

On Monday, a representative for the US State Department told BBC News Khalili and her family safely left Afghanistan and then began their onward journey from Pakistan.

"They did so with broad and high-level involvement and support from the US Government, and we are grateful for the many others who have also supported them during this time", the department said.

Thirteen years after his meeting with presidential candidates, as well as senators Chuck Hagel and John Kerry, Khalili is fighting for a US Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) to escape Afghanistan.

After the chaotic US withdrawal this summer, Khalili turned to President Joe Biden for help to save him, his wife, and five children.

"I believe in him. I believe he can do anything", he told CNN.

When asked about Khalili's situation in September, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki thanked her for helping some of my favorite people out of the blizzard and for all the work you did and said the United States was 'committed to evacuating allies'.

The Human First Coalition, an organization that helped rescue the more than 200 Afghans now in Pakistan, told the BBC it was "deeply grateful" to Uncle Sam and Pakistani officials for helping in efforts to bring President Biden's translator and his family to a safe place.

To note, the SIV was designed specifically for Afghans and Iraqis who worked alongside American forces in both conflicts. It is not clear whether Khalili had obtained this visa, or if he was traveling to the US.

Meanwhile, since 2008 about 70,000 Afghans have been resettled in the United States with SIV.