It is unclear how many military translators have been injured or killed working in Iraq and Afghanistan, though estimates put the figure at hundreds. Local militants fighting American forces vilify translators and make them targets, seeing their work as acts of betrayal.**********
Yet Mr. Shah said his reason for wanting to return was simple: Working in Afghanistan instilled in him a sense of purpose that he had not quite felt before.
“I developed a bond over there with people, buddy relationships,” Mr. Shah said. “I understand the dialogues, I can decode messages."
"It gives me a special feeling, like I’m doing something important. Like I’m saving lives.”
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The US military has handed Anbar province, once the centre of Iraq's Sunni insurgency, to Iraqi control at a ceremony in the provincial capital.*
Anbar province began a transformation in 2006 as former insurgents turned against al-Qaeda and became US allies.
With Anbar's transfer Iraqi forces will control security in 11 of the country's 18 provinces.