In the days and weeks before the U.S. military’s hectic departure from Afghanistan, two former interpreters for the American military already resettled in the United States — one a naturalized U.S. citizen, the other a holder of a green card — journeyed back into the war zone to rescue stranded female relatives.

But nearly two weeks after the U.S.-led airlift ended, both men remain in harm’s way along with their relatives who have the paperwork that should make them eligible for evacuation, they said. As charter flights carrying other Americans began to depart Kabul again Thursday, the one with a green card had yet to hear from the State Department whether he and his family would be included. The U.S. citizen, meanwhile, said he was told he could exit with his wife via Uzbekistan but must leave behind other relatives, including his mother-in-law, a California resident who has a green card.

“No, this is unbelievable,” he said he told the U.S. government representative who called him Wednesday night. “I’m going to stay with them until you guys figure out something.”…

Many Afghans with U.S. citizenship or residency have close relatives who hold special immigrant visas or other documents that made them eligible for extraction during the U.S.-led airlift mission that ended Aug. 30. But for those who waited for State Department notices that never came or were turned back as they tried to cross airport checkpoints in Kabul, the military’s departure has left them in a dire predicament.