My Taliban nightmare came true. I left, but my sister couldn’t.
On Sunday, my sister, who is also a journalist, gathered her official documents to find a way out of Afghanistan. But when she stopped by the bank to withdraw cash, there was none to be had. Then the crowd starting running away, shouting “Taliban are here!” She saw cars with riders holding the black and white flag. With her passport, she decided to rush to the airport; someone had promised to help her get out. But she never made it — a heavy traffic jam blocked her way. And the flight that she was supposed to board never took off, since the United States suspended all flights to evacuate U.S. staff first. Another family member trying to flee was robbed and was unable to reach anyone for hours. A friend made it to the airport looking for safe passage but remains stuck, with thousands more. There are reports of U.S. troops firing into the air to prevent people from boarding flights for U.S. diplomats and embassy staff.
