AFP officer who was deployed to Afghanistan fears for safety of those who helped him

“Every day that goes past now, their lives are in more and more danger”: An AFP officer who was deployed in Afghanistan has dire fears for those who assisted him during his time in country.

“EVERY day that goes past now, their lives are in more and more danger,” a former Australian Federal Police Detective Sergeant deployed in Afghanistan has warned about those who assisted him during his time in the country.

Now based in Sandy Bay, Kjell Brennemo was in Afghanistan from December 2007 until May 2008, as part of a four person team, the first from the AFP to go into the country.

He worked with his partner Michael Duthie to mentor local counter narcotics agencies as they attempted to eradicate poppies from Nangarhar province, initially in Jalalabad before it was deemed too unsafe to run their mission from there and were moved to Kabul.

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He said they put their lives in the hands of the three person locally engaged security team.

“Our trip every day was only about four kilometres, but would take half an hour because every day we would take a different route and we had to put our faith and trust in these guys to get us where we had to be safely.”

“There was one occasion on the way back from Kabul to Jalalabad, travelling on the road was exceptionally dangerous and we wouldn’t have got through without them,” he said.

He said their local translator was also crucial.

“Not speaking the language we had to trust they would represent our interests for our mission with the counter narcotics agencies.”

Mr Brennemo said he was extremely concerned about those he had built strong relationships with and their families.

Former Australian Federal Police Detective Sergeant Kjell Brennemo with partner Michael Duthie mentoring a member of the Afghanistan Counter Narcotics Police with the help of a local translator. Picture: supplied

“They’re staying in their apartments, their homes, too scared to move while things are so volatile and they are hoping by some miracle that something will happen that will allow them to leave.”

“The biggest concern is they (the Taliban) have been able to access a biometric facility and capture information in regards to locally engaged staff and will seek these people out and will seek some form of retribution.”

Mr Brennemo said the government had “dropped the ball quite a lot” and left their efforts too late to get people out of the country.

“It’s got to a point to where it’s getting really hard to follow through on what they promised and look after these people,” he said.

“There must be a way to manage to get these people out, co-ordinate a collection point and get them out.”

Former Australian Federal Police Detective Sergeant Kjell Brennemo, (third from left) with partner Michael Duthie (centre) with their team in Afghanistan. Picture: supplied

There have been chaotic scenes at Kabul’s airport as Australia, the US and other nations conduct evacuation flights.

Mr Brennemo said none of the people he worked with or their families had been granted Australians visa.

Members of the 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment ready combat team assist the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade with locating Afghan Australian visa holders attempting to enter the congested Abbey Gate at Hamid Karzai International Airport.

“A year ago one guy applied through the normal immigration processes and provided all the details about the assistance he provided and he was rejected,” he said.

“He was able to apply to Canada and is now in Canada, but it’s unfortunate that he couldn’t be resettled here, given the majority of the time he was working with Australians.”