Soon he said, “People were dancing in the streets.”
The embassy already was on a lockdown following the Taliban’s announcement of a spring offensive.
It was after midnight Tuesday when Patel talked with a reporter. When asked why he was up so late, he replied: “A bunch of us have gathered to toast the Navy SEALs and the intel folks. Their names will probably never be known, but they have the hearts and appreciations of all of us.”
While the Americans can’t leave the embassy compound, Afghans who work for the embassy are allowed in.
“So far, everybody has been very positive,” he said of the Afghan employees. “There has been praise and encouragement. One told me: ‘This will end the cancer. Bin Laden was our cancer.’ ”
Normally, Patel would be out and about, conferring with Afghan prosecutors, law enforcement and judges. Part of his duties in Dayton included heading criminal investigation for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Southwest Ohio. He is able to travel by car inside of Kabul, which he said is a relatively safe city. He said he wished he could walk the streets of the Afghan capital. “Parts of it are very beautiful. But our security people won’t allow it.”
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2290 or dpage@Dayton DailyNews.com.
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