Afghan translator safe in Italy, worries for family he left

By PAOLO SANTALUCIA
Associated Press

AVEZZANO, Italy (AP) — A 39-year-old man who served as a translator for the Italian military and embassy in Afghanistan says he is relieved to be safe in Italy but worries about how his wife and four young children are faring back in Kabul. He said before he left, he saw Taliban fighters marking an X on the homes of people like him who had worked with Western forces during their 20-year war in Afghanistan. The translator is one of 4,890 Afghan nationals brought to Italy after the Taliban claimed control of Kabul and Western nations launched an extraordinary airlift on Aug. 15. Italy’s foreign minister says Italy is housing the most evacuated Afghans of any of the European Union’s 27 nations.