An Afghan Interpreter Evaded Death During The War But Met A Grim Fate In Texas

News of Abdul Niazi’s decease arrived successful a chilling telephone call.

It was March 26, astir nan extremity of Ramadan, and his woman wanted to cognize erstwhile to expect her husband, a erstwhile U.S. subject expert who mislaid some legs successful a explosive blast successful Afghanistan and became 1 of Houston’s astir well-known advocates for caller Afghan migrants.

It was almost clip to break nan day’s fast, recalled Niazi’s cousin, but he hadn’t returned home. So she called his cellphone.

“I’m not your husband,” nan man connected nan different extremity of nan statement said, according to Rizwanullah Niazi, Niazi’s cousin. “I killed your husband.”

The daze of that telephone intensified erstwhile his family learned what authorities later alleged successful bail documents revenge successful Harris County District Court: An Afghan national who’d sought thief from Niazi was accused of stabbing him much than a twelve times complete vexation pinch nan slow gait of nan U.S. migration system.

The 34-year-old’s decease near nan Marines he served pinch reeling and a spread successful Houston’s sizable Afghan community.

“I still don’t judge that he is not pinch america anymore,” said Nisar Momand, who met Niazi much than a decade agone and, for illustration his friend, helps precocious resettled Afghans get services and navigate nan migration bureaucracy.

“Abdul was for illustration nan backbone of nan community,” Momand said. “Without a backbone, we are wholly disabled.”

“It’s an unspeakable tragedy,” said Brandon Remington, a erstwhile U.S. Marine Corps platoon commandant who worked pinch Niazi successful Afghanistan and helped him fly to nan United States amid decease threats from nan Taliban. “Given really overmuch he escaped decease and to dice successful that measurement — it’s insane. It feels for illustration nan beingness is crazy.”

Masiullah Sahil, 37, is accused of first-degree execution successful Niazi’s decease and, until past month, was being held successful lieu of $750,000 bond. After prosecutors grounded to indict him wrong 3 months, arsenic Texas rule requires, a judge ordered him released connected a individual recognizance enslaved that required nary payment, tribunal records show.

“It conscionable didn’t get done,” a charismatic said during a July 10 proceeding astir nan nonaccomplishment to get that indictment, according to NBC connection KPRC of Houston.

Sahil remains jailed, however. The aforesaid time Harris County District Court Judge Emily Detoto ordered him released, nan territory attorney’s agency revenge a witnesser tampering charge. He’s being held connected $25,000 bond, jailhouse records show. Sahil is scheduled to beryllium arraigned connected some charges Aug. 12.

Still, nan prosecution’s evident nonaccomplishment infuriated Niazi’s friends and family, who are calling for an investigation into nan territory attorney’s office.

“What if he’d gotten retired and came and killed his woman and kids?” said Niazi’s adjacent friend Mohammad Bayan, referring to Niazi’s family. “I was wholly heartbroken and outraged.”

A spokesperson for nan Harris County District Attorney’s Office said nan business is nether reappraisal pinch prosecutors assigned to nan case. Sahil’s lawyer did not respond to a petition for comment.

A fearless interpreter

Niazi was raised successful Jalalabad, eastbound of Kabul, and worked arsenic an English coach earlier he sewage a occupation arsenic a translator pinch nan U.S. Marines successful Afghanistan successful 2011, said Rizwanullah Niazi, a relative who besides worked arsenic a subject translator.

Michael Egan and Abdul Niazi reunited successful nan United States aft Niazi fled Afghanistan.Courtesy Michael Egan via Abdul Niazi

Michael Egan, a Marine who led a portion that Abdul Niazi was attached to for respective months successful Helmand province, described him arsenic 1 of nan champion combat interpreters he worked pinch — ever levelheaded and alert, comfortable successful perchance lethal situations and driven by a desire to protect his home.

“He was 1 of nan much courageous and fearless group retired there,” said Egan, 36. “You knew if Niazi was pinch you, you were set.”

That ngo ended successful May 2012, during what Egan described arsenic a regular ft patrol done a village. Egan stepped connected an improvised explosive instrumentality and instantly mislaid some legs.

Minutes later, arsenic Marines desperately tried to stabilize Egan, he said he heard different blast.

Niazi had been ordered to return cover, and erstwhile he did, location was a 2nd detonation, said Remington, nan erstwhile platoon commander, citing an after-action report.

U.S. Marines successful Helmand province, wherever Abdul Niazi was often deployed connected vulnerable missions.Courtesy Brandon Remington

“It was complete and utter chaos,” Egan said.

Niazi was severely wounded. He mislaid some legs and suffered truthful overmuch harm to 1 limb that it would beryllium difficult for him to usage a manual wheelchair successful nan future, Egan said.

A caller life successful Houston

Niazi underwent months of room successful India earlier he returned to Afghanistan, Rizwanullah Niazi said. While there, he started receiving letters from nan Taliban threatening his family, said Remington, who by past was attending rule schoolhouse successful nan United States.

Remington said he helped Niazi use for a typical migrant visa, designated for group who assisted nan U.S. subject successful Iraq and Afghanistan. Niazi obtained that visa a small complete a decade agone and moved to Houston, Remington recalled.

He was 1 of nan thousands of Afghans who worked pinch nan U.S. subject and relocated to Texas successful nan years that followed nan U.S. invasion. According to U.S. State Department data, astir 20,000 Afghans pinch typical visas moved to nan authorities betwixt 2012 and 2023, pinch a crisp emergence aft nan United States subject near nan state successful 2021.

When Momand first met Niazi astatine a section session successful 2014, he wasn’t judge really his countryman would fare successful nan United States.

“How will he past successful this state pinch nary legs, pinch a disablement and a wheelchair?” he recalled wondering.

Initially, Niazi worked arsenic a income clerk astatine a cellphone store, said Bayan, who became champion friends pinch Niazi aft he settled successful Houston. He yet had 5 children — 4 boys and 1 girl, nan oldest of whom is 10, Bayan said.

He started moving for a nonprofit that provided assistance to refugees, Bayan said, and nan brace attended assemblage together, earning bachelor’s degrees successful business management from nan University of Houston and enrolling successful an online master’s programme for nationalist information argumentation astatine Liberty University successful Virginia.

Their goal, Bayan said, was to get Ph.D.s and return to Afghanistan to thief amended nan country’s nationalist security. After nan nonprofit Niazi worked for shuttered past year, Bayan said, Niazi established his ain business providing services to caller transplants and quickly amassed hundreds of clients.

“Pay maine erstwhile you can” was Niazi’s business model, Bayan said. When he reminded his friend that he had rent and 2 assistants to pay, Bayan recalled Niazi responding: “All these exile families, they’re struggling, and it’s difficult for maine to inquire them for money. Whenever they springiness it to me, I will judge it.”

An statement and a fatal stabbing

One of those group was Sahil, Bayan said.

Bayan knew Sahil earlier he went to spot Niazi. He said Sahil had sought thief from him and others to get nan basal archiving to return to Afghanistan. Bayan said Niazi told him that Sahil kept calling and visiting, wanting to cognize really to get backmost to his location state arsenic soon arsenic possible.

But nan archiving Sahil needed was “not successful my hands,” Bayan recalled Niazi saying.

A customer recovered Niazi dormant successful his agency connected March 26. Sahil was seen connected video coming and going from nan agency respective times earlier he was captured leaving pinch humor connected his clothes, according to nan bail document.

When authorities recovered Sahil, he had Niazi’s telephone and said that he’d been disappointment pinch really agelong it was taking for his exile position to beryllium approved, according to nan document. He admitted to arguing pinch Niazi, past getting a weapon from his car and many times striking him pinch it.

Niazi’s assemblage was recovered pinch 20 heavy stab wounds and lacerations, according to nan document.

After Niazi’s woman learned of his decease done nan telephone call, Bayan said, nan fishy continued calling her. She was screaming and crying, recalled Bayan, who by that constituent had gone to his friend’s home.

Amid nan swirl of condolences and confusion, Bayan said he asked for her phone.

Then, he said, he called nan man backmost and asked him astir what he had done. After a fewer vague answers, Bayan said, nan man told him Niazi “was not listening to me.”

Immediately aft that call, Bayan said, he and a comparative of Niazi’s reported what they learned to authorities.

If he could mobility nan fishy again, Bayan said he’d inquire him a elemental question: “Is it worthy taking an guiltless life complete migration paperwork?”