A Virginia man and father-of-four who served as an interpreter for the US military in Afghanistan and escaped the Taliban‘s takeover of the country was killed by gunfire Monday in Washington DC.
Nasrat Ahmad Yar, 31, was found dead Monday just minutes after midnight on 11th Street NE, according to local police.
Ahmad Yar, a former interpreter alongside the Army Special Forces in Afghanistan, had come to America in 2021 after the government fell to the Taliban upon Joe Biden’s disastrous withdrawal from the country.
Less than a year after moving to Arlington, Virginia, he was working as a Lyft driver and decided to take up a shift late that night after a night out with his friends, despite his wife asking him to come home.
‘His wife asked him to stay home but he said, ‘I have to pay rent. I don’t have that much money. I have to work,” Rahim Amini, Ahmad Yar’s best friend, told WUSA9.
Nasrat Ahmad Yar, 31, was found dead Monday just minutes after midnight on 11th Street NE, according to local police
Security camera footage offers a look into what happened that night, as a gunshot is heard and then four boys run down the alley near the block where Ahmad Yar was shot.
‘You killed him! He was about to get out’ one of the boys yells.
‘He was reaching, bro,’ another responds.
Ahmad Yar would often work 12-hour shifts in an attempt to provide for his wife and four children, the youngest just 15 months old, Amini said.
He was also still attempting to send money to his family still living in Afghanistan.
Ahmad Yar’s friend Jeramie Malone said that his family moved to Virginia after feeling unsafe in Philadelphia following a robbery at gunpoint.
Malone said that despite the fears this incident had created for him, his friend was brave and willing to do anything for his family.
‘I can’t emphasize enough how he was always helping,’ he said. ‘Leaving the house was very dangerous for him, but he was always eager to help somebody else who is a good guy. His children were the most important thing to him, and he brought them here so he could be safe.’
Ahmad Yar (pictured right), a former interpreter alongside the Army Special Forces in Afghanistan, had come to America in 2021 after the government fell to the Taliban
Security camera footage offers a look into what happened that night, as a gunshot is heard and then four boys run down the alley near the block where Ahmad Yar was shot
The family fled to Abu Dhabi in 2021 from an evacuation site after it was determined that he’d be a target of the Taliban due to his work with the US Army.
Retired Lieutenant Colonel Matthew Butler worked with Ahmad Yar in Afghanistan, eventually helping him with the immigration process.
‘He was most certainly a marked man if he stayed,’ Butler said. ‘He served this country a great deal more than I did. I did 42 months in combat but that was nowhere near what he had.’
‘You just don’t have words to describe how you feel about someone who had given so much to his country, not as a citizen, but then comes here and experiences some of the worst behavior our country has to offer,’ he added.
‘Our hearts are with Mr. Nasrat’s loved ones as they confront this unspeakable tragedy,’ A Lyft spokesperson said in a statement.
‘We have reached out to his family to offer our support and are in contact with law enforcement to assist with their investigation.’
Malone has started a Gofundme hoping to raise $75,000 for Yar’s wife and four children.
‘Nasrat’s commitment to his family and community was unwavering,’ Malone writes.
Ahmad Yar would often work 12-hour shifts in an attempt to provide for his wife and four children, the youngest just 15 months old
Local police have said that a $25,000 reward is being offered for anyone that can provide information that will result in an arrest
‘He always extended a helping hand to friends and family and readily assisted anyone in need. He was immensely proud to be in the U.S., and grateful for the safety and opportunities that would be afforded to his four young children.’
Washington’s local Afghan community has started a fundraiser on Facebook, hoping to raise $40,000.
Local police have said that a $25,000 reward is being offered for anyone that can provide information that will result in an arrest.
