Derby Afghan interpreter's search for daughter's doll donor

The doll now belongs to Ali's two-and-a-half-year-old daughter

A former Afghan British Army interpreter who was evacuated following the Taliban takeover is trying to track down the British donor of a doll he has treasured for more than a decade.

Ali - not his real name - who has been in Derby since December, was on the front-line interpreting for British troops as they fought the Taliban.

Ali said the doll came in a box donated via a British charity appeal in 2011.

Now he said he hopes to track down the donor to thank them.

'Cute'

Ali spent a year working for the British army as an interpreter but feared his life was at risk after he was accused of being a collaborator.

He fled the country for India arriving in Britain in December via the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP).

He said the doll, which now belongs to his two-and-a-half-year-old daughter, represents a precious link with his family.

"I haven't seen my mum and dad for years," he said.

"The doll came from England as a gift, inside a big box.

"I thought it was cute, I took it home and gave it to my family.

"My mum saved it and in 2014, I got married and I was blessed with a daughter and we gave the doll to her.

"When we [were evacuated to the UK], I said I must take this doll with me.

"After 10 years, she is now again in the UK."

Ali would like to meet the doll's donor to thank them

Ali, whose name has been changed to protect his family, said he would love to meet whoever donated the doll.

"If they remember when they gifted this doll to UK forces in Afghanistan, in the year 2011, I would like them to meet their doll again," he said.

He is now staying in a hotel in Derby, which he describes as a beautiful and welcoming city and hopes to get a job in IT once his work permit comes through.

Meanwhile, he volunteers as a translator and storyteller, working with Afghan children who have settled in the UK and uses the doll as a prop.

"Many of them have suffered trauma," he said.

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