Interpreter who rescued Joe Biden during Afghan storm pleads with president to save him from 'hell'

ITV News US Correspondent Emma Murphy reports on Mohammed, the interpreter who rescued Joe Biden in 2008, being left behind in Afghanistan

An interpreter who helped to rescue Joe Biden and two other US senators during a snowstorm in Afghanistan in 2008 and who is desperate to escape, has issued a plea to the president to rescue him and his family from "hell".

Mohammed - who is not revealing his last name due to safety concerns - is in hiding from the Taliban with his family and fears for his life.

As a senator 13 years ago, President Biden was aboard one of two Blackhawk helicopters that had to make an emergency landing in a life-threatening snowstorm.

He was alongside senators Chuck Hagel and John Kerry.

A team of American troops travelled to rescue them along with Mohammed, all of them risking their lives to save the future president and his colleagues.

For more than 24 hours, in freezing conditions, they stayed with the senators until the helicopters could take off to safety at the Bagram military base.President Biden often spoke about the traumatic event during campaign trails.

Speaking in September 2008, he said: "If you want to know where Al-Qaeda lives and you want to know where Bin Laden is, come back to Afghanistan with me. "Come back to the area where my helicopter was forced down with a three-star general and three United States Senators at 10,500ft in the middle of those mountains."

Speaking to ITV News, Mohammed pleaded for the president to help him escape.

He said: "My message to the president of the United States and his administration is that they've gone and they've left me behind. "I request please do not forget me and my family.

"They have to rescue me and my kids from this hell."

Those who Mohammed served with are trying to get him out. Retired Army Captain Dennis Chamberlain is horrified that he was left behind.

He said: "How big of a success story would it be for the Taliban to find the interpreter that saved Biden? "We risked our lives through that snowstorm and Mohammed was right there with us.

"I think it's an absolute crying shame that we are not having the same result in rescuing our brother in arms.

"We will get you out . We will honour your service and we are committed to doing exactly that."