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“I Would Have Been Killed, Along With My Father”

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9 years ago

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Afghans organise a protest march in Kabul demanding an end to terrorism and establishment of a political system that will ensure their safety. Photo Credit: The Conversation

How a U.S. Special Immigrant Visa program likely saved a life? Its continuation and expansion could save more

By Sher A. Nader

In July 2016, I welcomed my friend Muhammad Mihdi, his wife, and their 2-year-old son at San Francisco International Airport. They arrived here from Kabul, Afghanistan, on Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs) granted to those Afghans and Iraqis who have worked for or on behalf of the U.S. government in Afghanistan and Iraq and as a result are facing an ongoing threat in their country. I was accompanied by Barbara Preston, a retired doctor who is a volunteer for No One Left Behind (NOLB). NOLB is a nonprofit organization that supports and advocates for Afghan and Iraqi translators before and after their arrival in the U.S.

Mihdi worked for the U.S. Military in Khogyani, one of Afghanistan’s most volatile districts. It is in the southern part of Nangarhar province, which borders Pakistan. Although he knew that by working with Americans in Afghanistan he was putting his life and the lives of his family members at substantial risk, he never thought of giving up. In 2012, his work at Khogyani ended but the threats to his life followed him everywhere – even to his home in Kabul.

Every time I talked to Mihdi while he was still in Afghanistan, his descriptions of the security situation worried me greatly.

“Before leaving for work in the morning, I can’t stop hugging and giving love to my little son, as I know there’s no guarantee I will get back home in the evening,” Mihdi told me a few months before his visa was issued. His voice conveyed a sense of the danger he faced daily.

When he received his SIV, he immediately arranged to travel to the U.S. He was lucky. If he hadn’t received his visa at that time, he might not be alive today. In his own words, “I would have been killed, along with my father, some months later.”

On March 8, 2017, a suicide blast destroyed the back entrance to Sardar Daud Khan Military Hospital, allowing five heavily armed terrorists disguised as medical staff to enter Afghanistan’s largest military hospital, in the heart of Kabul.

The attack began at 9 a.m. For the next seven hours, the gunmen went from ward to ward, killing everyone in their sight – including doctors and patients. At least 100 people were killed and hundreds of others injured.

Mihdi’s father had been admitted to the same hospital a few days earlier after doctors found his asthma was getting worse. His ward was on the fourth floor. “My mother and brother-in-law were there, too. They took him food and remained there to help him through most of the day, every day,” Mihdi told me when I visited him at his home a day after the attack. “There were 15 more people in the same ward.”

As soon as Mihdi learned of the attack he tried to reach his parents by phone. “The truth,” Mihdi learned, “was that my father had been killed and my mother was injured. I couldn’t believe my mother was alive until I heard her voice on the phone. Thankfully, my brother-in-law was unhurt.”

A few days after the incident, when I called and spoke to Mihdi’s mother, she still sounded shocked and terrified. “As soon as we heard the first explosion, we closed the ward’s entrance and took positions under the beds,” Mihdi’s mother explained while sobbing.

“We continued to hear explosions and gunfire for hours but no one entered our ward. Around 2 p.m., all of a sudden, there was absolute silence and we thought the attack was over,” she recalled. “Then one of the men in the ward moved toward the door to open it. Others urged him to wait for the arrival of security forces, but he didn’t listen.

“As soon as he opened the door, a bullet pierced through his head. It seemed as if the gunman had been waiting behind the door. He started shooting everyone he saw,” Mihdi’s mother said.

Mihdi’s father was shot in chest, and his mother in the leg. His brother-in-law was uninjured – Mihdi’s mother had covered him by putting herself over him. What she did was nothing short of heroic.

“I saw my husband dying in front my eyes but couldn’t do anything. I was bleeding severely,” Mihdi’s mother recalled. The incident left her with serious psychological problems. For the next few weeks, she would scream in her sleep several times during the night and remain restless throughout the day. She hasn’t fully recovered yet.

When Mihdi was living in Afghanistan, he would help his father and take him food whenever his father got sick and was admitted to hospital. Had he not come to the U.S., Mihdi would likely have been in that room with his father at the time of the attack. He would likely have been killed or seriously injured. If Mihdi were able to bring his parents along with him to the U.S., today his father would likely be alive and his mother would be healthy, enjoying their time with their newly born grandson.

Since December 2014, 11,000 SIVs have been awarded to Afghan applicants by the U.S. State Department. Thousands more were awarded in previous years dating back to the program’s creation in 2009. Some of these visa recipients, and others from Iraq, might not be alive now had their visas been denied or even delayed. For others like Mihdi who risked their lives in the service of the U.S. missions in Afghanistan and Iraq, the continuance of this visa program can be the primary lifeline to truly ensure that no one is left behind.

Sher A. Nader is a freelance writer based in California, USA. He can be reached @ [email protected]

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Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang resigns amid affair scandal, Colette Kress takes over

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has resigned amid an affair-related controversy. The company’s CFO, Colette Kress, will serve as interim CEO while the board looks for a permanent successor.

Published

11 hours ago

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November 12, 2026

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colette kress

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has resigned from his position, marking a major leadership change at the world’s leading artificial intelligence chipmaker. The company’s board has appointed Chief Financial Officer Colette Kress as interim CEO while it begins the process of finding a permanent successor.

The development comes amid controversy surrounding reports of Huang’s alleged extramarital relationships, including one involving a Chinese businesswoman suspected by US authorities of having links to espionage activities.

Huang’s departure comes after more than three decades at the helm of Nvidia, the company he co-founded in 1993. His leadership helped transform the business from a graphics chip manufacturer into a dominant supplier of processors powering the global artificial intelligence industry.

Colette Kress appointed interim Nvidia CEO

Following Huang’s resignation, Nvidia’s board appointed Colette Kress as interim chief executive officer.

Kress, who has served as Nvidia’s executive vice president and CFO since September 2013, will continue to hold the finance portfolio alongside her interim leadership responsibilities until a permanent successor is appointed.

Before joining Nvidia, she spent nearly 25 years working in finance roles at major technology companies, including Cisco and Microsoft.

The board has said it will consider both internal and external candidates as part of its search for a permanent CEO.

Nvidia has also appointed Harvey C. Jones as the company’s first-ever chairman of the board.

Affair controversy surrounding Jensen Huang

Huang’s resignation follows a series of reports about alleged extramarital relationships that have raised questions about his position at the company.

One of the controversies involves Alice Huang, a Chinese businesswoman whom US intelligence agencies reportedly suspect of involvement in facilitating shipments of Nvidia chips to Chinese companies.

Another report alleged that Huang had a relationship with Kimberly Powell, Nvidia’s vice president of healthcare, who reportedly worked under him.

Huang had earlier acknowledged being unfaithful to his wife in a message to Nvidia employees, taking responsibility for his actions and apologising to his family and colleagues.

The company’s board had also initiated an independent investigation into whether Huang had been targeted as part of a foreign intelligence operation.

Jensen Huang’s departure marks a major change for Nvidia

Huang co-founded Nvidia in 1993 alongside Curtis Priem and Chris Malachowsky. Under his leadership, the company evolved from a graphics processing unit manufacturer primarily associated with gaming into a central player in the global AI industry.

Nvidia’s processors have become critical to companies developing and operating artificial intelligence systems, making the company one of the most influential businesses in the technology sector.

His departure also comes at a crucial time for Nvidia, with investors closely watching the company’s leadership transition and its ability to maintain its position in the rapidly expanding AI market.

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Latest world news

India, Canada discuss trade pact to boost bilateral commerce

India and Canada discussed advancing negotiations on a proposed Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement aimed at expanding trade, investment and market access between the two countries.

Published

21 hours ago

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November 12, 2026

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India canada trade pacts

India and Canada discussed advancing negotiations on a proposed trade agreement as the two countries seek to strengthen their economic and commercial ties.

Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal met Canada’s Minister of International Trade Maninder Sidhu, who is leading a Canadian delegation to India. The discussions focused on advancing negotiations for the proposed India-Canada Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA).

The proposed pact is aimed at creating greater market access and opening up new opportunities for trade and investment between the two countries.

India-Canada CEPA talks

Both sides discussed the importance of a balanced and mutually beneficial agreement that can make use of the complementary strengths of the two economies.

The discussions also focused on deepening commercial engagement and creating new opportunities for businesses in both countries.

Goyal said the two sides reaffirmed their commitment to taking the India-Canada economic partnership to a higher level, with CEPA serving as a catalyst for deeper commercial engagement.

India and Canada are working towards concluding the CEPA negotiations by the end of 2026.

India-Canada trade

The proposed CEPA is aimed at improving market access and creating opportunities across sectors while strengthening the broader economic relationship between India and Canada.

The agreement is expected to provide greater opportunities for businesses in both countries and support deeper trade and investment ties.

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White House put on temporary lockdown after car crashes into signpost

The White House was temporarily placed under lockdown after a car crashed into a signpost near Lafayette Square in Washington, DC. The driver was detained after a confrontation with security personnel.

Published

3 days ago

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November 9, 2026

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The White House was placed under a temporary lockdown on Monday after a car crashed into a signpost at Lafayette Square near the presidential residence in Washington, DC.

The incident triggered a security response in the area, with the US Secret Service directing members of the White House press corps to move indoors and remain there temporarily.

Driver detained after confrontation with security personnel

The driver was detained following a confrontation with Secret Service officers and National Guard personnel, according to reports.

Video footage showed a silver sedan on the paved area at the northern end of Lafayette Square after striking a signpost. Smoke was also seen coming from the vehicle.

Authorities had not immediately disclosed the driver’s identity or established what led to the crash.

White House security restrictions imposed

The security response prompted temporary restrictions around the White House. The incident occurred at Lafayette Square, which is directly across Pennsylvania Avenue from the presidential complex.

At around 10 am local time, Secret Service personnel instructed White House journalists to move indoors while security personnel dealt with the incident.

The White House was under the security restriction while President Donald Trump was at the premises, according to reports.

Motive behind crash remains unclear

It was not immediately known whether the crash was accidental or deliberate. Authorities had also not immediately confirmed whether anyone was injured.

The circumstances surrounding the incident, including the driver’s identity and possible motive, remained under investigation.

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