A former Afghan interpreter who served alongside U.S. special forces before fleeing Afghanistan after it fell to the Taliban was killed in Washington, D.C. by a group of "boys" who fatally shot him while he was driving for Lyft to make money to support his wife and four children.
The latest tragedy in the increasingly lawless capital puts an exclamation point on the surging number of violent and property crimes terrorizing residents and visitors.
Nasrat Ahmad Yar, 31, fled to America from Afghanistan with his family after his home country fell to the Taliban following President Biden's chaotic and deadly withdrawal of U.S. forces in 2021.
Because Ahmad Yar had worked with U.S. forces, he had a massive target on his back from the Taliban after they toppled the Afghan government and quickly returned to their barbaric ways.
D.C. CBS affiliate WUSA9 talked to one member of U.S. Special Forces who'd served alongside Ahmad Yar:
"He was most certainly a marked man if he stayed," Retired Lieutenant Colonel Matthew Butler told WUSA9. "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."
Butler, who was with the U.S. Army Special Forces, worked closely with Ahmad Yar in Camp Vance of the Bagram Airfield for two of his deployments. He last saw Ahmad Yar in Pennsylvania in 2022, and helped start his immigration process before the Taliban takeover.
"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," Butler said. "The irony is really thick here."
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In order to protect his family, Ahmad Yar decided to flee their home country and come to America in search of safe refuge.
First staying in Philadelphia, he and his family relocated to Alexandria, Virginia, less than one year ago. A friend said Ahmad Yar moved his family to Virginia from Philadelphia seeking a safer community after he was robbed at gunpoint.
More from WUSA9:
Nasrat Ahmad Yar's wife wanted him to come home after a night out with friends, but he told her rent was due soon and he needed to keep working, right before he was shot and killed in his car.
DC Police officers responded to 11th Street Northeast, near D Street Northeast, just after midnight for a reported shooting, and found Ahmad Yar with a gunshot wound. He was taken to a hospital for treatment but died of his injuries.
"He was so happy he got a new car because he could take care of his family," his best friend Rahim Amini told WUSA9. "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.'"
Ahmad Yar was the sole provider for his wife and four children, ages 13 years to 15 months, and was still sending money home to family overseas in Afghanistan. He served as an interpreter alongside U.S. Army Special Forces in Afghanistan. Ahmad Yar escaped with his family in 2021 after the fall of the Afghan government to the Taliban.
Amini said Ahmad Yar would often drive up to 12 hours a day for Lyft to make ends meet. A GoFundMe has been set up to provide help for Yar's family left behind. The local Afghan community also started a donation page.
Loved ones described him as hardworking, generous, diligent and positive.
"We need justice for Nasrat," his cousin Samim Amiri said. "That's all the family wants."
A homeowner near the scene of the murder had a security camera that apparently captured the suspects talking about their heinous action while fleeing the area, video that has been provided to investigators as they seek to find those responsible for Ahmad Yar's death.
Lyft driver found shot to death in DC. Disturbing surveillance video captures what sounds like four younger suspects talking about the deadly shooting as they run away. https://t.co/lu8RKrGjKP pic.twitter.com/KhuvAHVgwf
— Allison Papson (@AllisonPapson) July 6, 2023
According to WUSA9, authorities are offering a $25,000 reward to anyone providing information leading to an arrest and asking anyone who might know something about the case to contact D.C. police at 202-727-9099.
According to D.C. police statistics, all categories of violent crime in the nation's capital are surging through the first half of 2023 compared to this point last year:
- Homicide: +19 percent
- Sex abuse: +35 percent
- Assault w/ a dangerous weapon: +3 percent
- Robbery: +49 percent
- Total violent crime: +30 percent
In addition, all property crimes are up 29 percent over this point in 2022 including a 115 percent spike in motor vehicle theft, a 25 percent jump in theft (other), and a 300 percent increase in arson (eight so far in 2023 vs. two in 2022).
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