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Consider This from NPR

100,000 Afghans Were Airlifted Out Of Kabul. What Happened To Those Who Weren't?

Consider This from NPR

NPR

News, Daily News, Society & Culture, News Commentary

4.26.2K Ratings

🗓️ 14 August 2023

⏱️ 13 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

It's been two years since the Taliban entered Kabul, throwing the final days of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan into chaos. Crowds of people desperate to leave the country surrounded the airport.

Tens of thousands of Afghans were airlifted out before American troops pulled out. Many more are still trying to reach the U.S. Some are risking their lives to cross the border from Mexico.

NPR's Tom Bowman has the story of one family who traveled from Afghanistan to Virginia, by way of Pakistan and Mexico, to get medical care for their young daughter.

In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment to help you make sense of what's going on in your community.

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Transcript

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0:00.0

B.H. remembers the last time he saw his family.

0:10.7

It was two years ago, almost exactly.

0:12.9

They were all in the desperate crowd at the Kabul airport, trying to board planes as the

0:18.0

Taliban took over the city.

0:19.9

And everyone was pushing each other and they didn't, you know, care about all people or

0:26.6

childrens.

0:27.6

Yeah, everyone was afraid.

0:29.6

Were you afraid?

0:30.6

Yes.

0:31.6

B.H. told the story to NPR Pentagon correspondent Tom Bowman.

0:36.4

We're only using his initials because most of his family is still at risk in Taliban

0:42.0

controlled Kabul.

0:43.8

That day at the airport, B.H. somehow made it through the gate, but he was separated

0:48.8

from his family in the crush.

0:50.6

I call them several times that no one was answering because there was in the crowd

0:55.6

and no one heard the phone rank.

0:59.0

It's a dark day for me because Al-Asma, all family, you know.

1:04.8

His family never made it through.

1:07.0

B.H., 17 years old, alone found himself on a U.S. evacuation flight to Doha, where he

1:14.1

finally reached his mom back in Kabul by phone.

1:17.7

She was crying, that's the only thing she did.

1:21.5

There were many stories like this.

...

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