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Honestly with Bari Weiss

The Story of One Teenager's Escape From Afghanistan

Honestly with Bari Weiss

The Free Press

Society & Culture, News

4.67.8K Ratings

🗓️ 17 September 2021

⏱️ 51 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

It’s been a month since the fall of Afghanistan. And Black Hawk helicopters and Humvees aren’t the only things we left behind. Trapped in a country now controlled by the Taliban are hundreds of thousands of America’s Afghan allies. These are the interpreters, advisers and others who worked with the U.S. government and with American organizations--and who we promised we would never abandon. Their chance at freedom — at life — now relies on normal Americans who are determined to right what the White House has gotten so terribly wrong. They are a rag-tag group of military veterans, human-rights activists, ex-special forces, State Department officials, non-profit organizers and private individuals with the kind of resources necessary to charter planes. And they have formed a 21st-century Underground Railroad. In time, history books will be written about these Americans and the Afghans they saved.Today, the story of one of them. A 15-year-old girl in Kabul named Rahima. And a woman called Esther in East Moline, Illinois, who stepped into the vacuum left by the U.S. government. To learn more about the Underground Railroad: https://bariweiss.substack.com/p/inside-the-underground-railroad-out f you are interested in helping people like Rahima please consider supporting: https://nooneleft.org and https://afghanevac.org Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

In a world awash with fake news, how can you find clarity amid the clamor?

0:03.4

At the Times and Sunday times, our expert journalism cuts through the noise.

0:07.1

Right now, you can subscribe with our student offer of just 9-99 a year for three years.

0:12.0

Head to the Times.com forward-slash students today.

0:15.0

I'm Barry Weiss, and this is honestly.

0:18.0

We begin tonight with the stunning collapse in Afghanistan.

0:21.0

Afghans are running from the Taliban,

0:23.7

now in full control, setting up checkpoints

0:26.8

with the very weapons American taxpayers

0:29.2

bought for the Afghan army.

0:30.6

Today, a story of one American woman's mission.

0:34.0

Rahima can do voice memos better than she can do calls.

0:37.0

Try to send voice memos to Rahima.

0:40.0

To get a single teenage girl trapped inside the now Taliban ruled Afghanistan out of the country and

0:47.2

into safety.

0:48.2

Tens of thousands of Afghans stormed onto the runways, desperate to to leave clinging on to aircraft.

0:54.0

The condition is worse.

0:55.7

I'm even the witness of people that are dying in front of my eyes.

1:00.0

You can do this.

1:01.0

You can absolutely do this.

1:02.4

Stay strong.

1:03.3

I am praying for you.

...

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