The Taliban issued a death sentence to the brother of an Afghan interpreter who helped the US, despite saying it won't seek revenge

taliban fighters in kabul — Taliban fighters stand outside the Interior Ministry in the Afghanistan capital of Kabul on August 15, after the militant force encircled and took over the city.
Stringer/Reuters

The Taliban sentenced the brother of an Afghan interpreter to death, according to letters obtained by CNN.
The Taliban previously pledged not to seek revenge against Afghans who aided the US.
In the past 24 hours, 10,400 people have been evacuated from Afghanistan.
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The Taliban accused the brother of an Afghan interpreter of aiding Americans and sentenced him to death, according to letters obtained by CNN, after previously claiming that it would not seek revenge against people who helped the US military.

In the first of three letters, the man was accused of "helping the Americans" and providing security for his brother, who was an interpreter, and was ordered to appear for a hearing. The second letter informed him that his case had been sent to the Sharia court because he didn't appear.

In the third letter, the Taliban notified the man that he had been found "guilty in absentia" after not appearing for the Sharia court hearing. The letter said the man was sentenced to death, and that he could not object to the sentence.

"You chose this path for yourself and your death is imminent, God willing," the letter read, as quoted by CNN.

The letters were provided to CNN by a former service member who worked with the interpreter. The letters were sent to the interpreter's brother within the last three months, the service member told CNN.

CNN had the letters translated from Pashto to English and did not disclose the name of the man, his brother, or the service member. The letters have seals that match those of archival Taliban letters, according to CNN.

The letters contradict previous claims from Taliban leaders that they would not seek revenge against Afghans who aided Americans. Last week, Taliban spokesperson Tabilah Muhajid said that nobody would "go to their doors to ask why they helped."

Many Afghans fear that the Taliban will return to the oppressive ruling tactics that it used in the 1990s. In the last 24 hours, 10,400 people have been evacuated from the country, CNN's Kaitlan Collins reported.

The Biden administration has come under fire in recent days for not doing more to help Afghans and Special Immigrant Visa Holders escape the country. Evacuation efforts are still underway, after chaotic videos showed massive crowds of people rushing the airport in Kabul last week to try to board flights out of the country.

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