I was there to help the good people of Afghanistan. Now I feel as though we failed them | Grant Edwards

Our leaders made the mistake of ignoring it was the Afghans' country and they knew it better than we did

I was one of the thousands of Australians who were deployed to Afghanistan - me, as an Australian federal police officer - over the last 20 years. Despite all the good we achieved while there, I now feel as though we failed; failed the good people of Afghanistan, especially those who risked everything by helping us.

Last week one of the translators I worked alongside reached out to me in desperation. He wanted my support to help him and his family flee Afghanistan for the safety of Australia. I didn't hesitate because it was my moral obligation to help this man who'd unselfishly aided me, and many others, at great risk to his own personal safety. While I'm pleased the Australian government has started some evacuation flights, I trust their understanding of moral obligation means they'll continue to get out of that country as many of our proven friends as possible.