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PBS News Hour - Segments

‘We gave everything’: Afghan allies abandoned by U.S. share fears of life under Taliban

PBS News Hour - Segments

PBS NewsHour

News, Daily News

4.11K Ratings

🗓️ 5 September 2025

⏱️ 7 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

As the American war in Afghanistan ended four years ago, thousands of Afghans who had worked with the United States, and believed in the American-led war against the Taliban, were left behind. Many of them are still there after the Trump administration suspended relocation programs. Nick Schifrin spoke with two men in Afghanistan about their fears and dark memories of the Taliban takeover. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

Transcript

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0:00.0

Four years ago this past Sunday, the last American soldier walked up the ramp of the last

0:06.4

departing military flight out of Kabul, ending nearly 20 years of the American war in Afghanistan.

0:13.0

The U.S. also left thousands of Afghans behind who had worked with the United States and believed

0:18.1

in the American-led war against the Taliban.

0:21.2

Many of them are still left behind after the Trump administration suspended all relocation

0:25.8

programs.

0:27.0

Nick Schifrin spoke with two men still in Afghanistan about the fear they live with today

0:32.3

and the dark memories from the Taliban takeover. Four years ago, a community forsaken.

0:46.3

Thousands of Afghans flooded Kabul airport, desperate to flee,

0:51.3

and many, having worked with the U.S., begged American soldiers for a chance to keep their freedom.

1:01.9

As the Taliban took back Afghanistan, and after two decades, the United States withdrew.

1:08.9

That was very, very bad scenario for us, not only for my family, for all the Afghans,

1:13.6

especially those who work with international India and for the U.S.

1:18.6

During that time, we have to say we lost our hope.

1:21.6

This is a man we'll call Mohammed, who's still in Afghanistan,

1:24.6

and whose identity we are concealing and voice we are

1:28.0

altering.

1:29.2

He was a humanitarian coordinator for more than 20 years.

1:32.6

He worked with USAID, the UN, and others to promote women's rights, expand education,

1:39.6

and bring together community leaders from across the country to build peace.

1:48.8

What were you trying to accomplish by helping the U.S. and the U.N. in Afghanistan?

1:54.0

The United States tried to develop or increase democracy in Afghanistan in human rights,

...

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