Taliban behead military translator, 30, who helped US soldiers in Afghanistan

The killing of a former military translator by the Taliban has sparked new alarm among interpreters fearing attacks as Western forces pull out of Afghanistan.

Sohail Pardis is reported to have been beheaded by extremists after he was attacked outside Kabul. 

His family said he was dragged from his vehicle after being shot as he tried to escape a Taliban checkpoint on a road in Khost, the Daily Mail reports.

Villagers who witnessed the horrific incident are said to have explained to the Red Crescent how Taliban shot his car before it swerved and stopped.

Witnesses said Pardis was dragged out of his car to be beaten, shot and beheaded.

Mr Pardis, 30, the father of a nine-year-old daughter, had worked as an interpreter for US forces for 16 months and had applied to be relocated on security grounds to America.

He was rejected because he had been dismissed having been terminated in 2012 after failing a routine polygraph, or lie detector, test. He was never told why he failed the polygraph.

The screenings were conducted through a contracted company. Hundreds of translators who failed the tests say they had issues with the questions asked and did not believe them to be reliable. 

They claim their contracts  were terminated for what they say was unjust cause. The US government has also said it will not be reviewing the cases.