An Afghan man who worked as an interpreter for the US military in Afghanistan before fleeing his homeland when the Taliban took over was murdered in Washington while working as a driver for a ride-sharing company.
Nasrat Ahmadyar, 31, died after being shot in the abdomen in the Capitol Hill neighbourhood on Monday, police said.
The shooting came during a spate of deadly gun violence that has gripped the US capital and beyond in recent days.
Home surveillance footage captured near the scene of Mr Ahmadyar's killing recorded the gunshot and showed several youths running away, with one appearing to say: “You killed him.”
The Washington area's Afghan community is now fundraising for Mr Ahmadyar's family.
The father of four first moved to Philadelphia from Afghanistan, then relocated to Alexandria, Virginia.
He worked for the US military in Afghanistan for more than 10 years, his friends told local news outlets, and fled to the US after the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan in August 2021.
“He was so excited to come to America,” said Jeramie Malone, a friend of Mr Ahmadyar's who has started a GoFundMe page for his family that has raised more than $130,000.
Ms Malone said that Mr Ahmadyar's excitement, he soon experienced the country's gun culture first hand.
“As soon as he got to Philadelphia, he had an incident where he was hassled by a guy with a gun,” Ms Malone told The National.
The veteran interpreter was eventually able to defuse the situation, but it inspired him to leave Philadelphia for the Washington area, where he knew more people.
Ms Malone, who helped Mr Ahmadyar navigate his way out of Afghanistan following the Taliban takeover, said she felt guilty over her friend's death.
“I'm embarrassed that his family was so grateful that he was going to finally be safe and that America seems like a safe place and people come here to be safe. I'm embarrassed that this was the way he was treated,” she said.
Mr Ahmadyar was his family's sole earner. He was working for Lyft when he was killed.
“We have reached out to his family to offer our support and are in contact with law enforcement to assist with their investigation,” Lyft said.
His funeral is set to be held on Saturday.
“He was so happy he got a new car because he could take care of his family,” his 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.'”
Interpreters for the US Army were at heightened risk of reprisals when the Taliban swept back to power in August 2021.
Many were left behind as troops hastily withdrew and were forced to go into hiding.
Former interpreters with US and British troops have told The National the Taliban were actively searching for translators who worked with foreign troops.
Ms Malone said the money she has raised will go towards supporting Mr Ahmadyar's widow and children.
“He won't able to be here to watch his kids grow up and to watch them be successful like he wanted them to be, but we can get together and support him and pay him back for all the things that he did for us,” she said.
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- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
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Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
Ziina users can donate to relief efforts in Beirut
Ziina users will be able to use the app to help relief efforts in Beirut, which has been left reeling after an August blast caused an estimated $15 billion in damage and left thousands homeless. Ziina has partnered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to raise money for the Lebanese capital, co-founder Faisal Toukan says. “As of October 1, the UNHCR has the first certified badge on Ziina and is automatically part of user's top friends' list during this campaign. Users can now donate any amount to the Beirut relief with two clicks. The money raised will go towards rebuilding houses for the families that were impacted by the explosion.”
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Director: Yeon Sang-ho
Rating: 2/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
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Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
The specs
Engine: four-litre V6 and 3.5-litre V6 twin-turbo
Transmission: six-speed and 10-speed
Power: 271 and 409 horsepower
Torque: 385 and 650Nm
Price: from Dh229,900 to Dh355,000
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Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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How will Gen Alpha invest?
Mark Chahwan, co-founder and chief executive of robo-advisory firm Sarwa, forecasts that Generation Alpha (born between 2010 and 2024) will start investing in their teenage years and therefore benefit from compound interest.
“Technology and education should be the main drivers to make this happen, whether it’s investing in a few clicks or their schools/parents stepping up their personal finance education skills,” he adds.
Mr Chahwan says younger generations have a higher capacity to take on risk, but for some their appetite can be more cautious because they are investing for the first time. “Schools still do not teach personal finance and stock market investing, so a lot of the learning journey can feel daunting and intimidating,” he says.
He advises millennials to not always start with an aggressive portfolio even if they can afford to take risks. “We always advise to work your way up to your risk capacity, that way you experience volatility and get used to it. Given the higher risk capacity for the younger generations, stocks are a favourite,” says Mr Chahwan.
Highlighting the role technology has played in encouraging millennials and Gen Z to invest, he says: “They were often excluded, but with lower account minimums ... a customer with $1,000 [Dh3,672] in their account has their money working for them just as hard as the portfolio of a high get-worth individual.”
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
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Classification of skills
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
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Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
