By: Gabby Zhou

A boy whom we will call BH makes his way as an Afghan refugee to the US. But, his family is still stuck in Kabul, living in fear of the new Taliban government. npr KQED, 2023 reported that, “As an uncle had also worked for both the Afghan and the U.S. military, BH’s family is now in even more danger than before.”

BH recalls the past: the last time that he had seen his family, they were all together with their documents pushing through the immense crowd of people with the same goal to board one of the planes escaping Kabul during the Taliban invasion. During this perilous attempt, many Afghans lost their lives due to the pushing and panic. BH was the only one of his family that made it out that day, in August 2021.

When BH arrived in Virginia, he had only the clothes he was wearing and the documents in his hands. That day, about 80,000 Afghan refugees made it to the US. They were all sent to an air force base in New Mexico for medical tests. “Soon after, BH went back to Virginia when he learned about the good education systems. The State Department offered counseling help for jobs and education. And the refugees got three months of financial assistance,” says npr KQED. Later on, BH got a good-paying job and even got himself an apartment.

BH is luckier and more fortunate than many other Afghan refugees. Today, he has a full-time job at Goodwin House’s front desk. But, he still misses his family.[3] He remembers the last time he called his mother, they didn’t speak – she only cried. Now, he is worried about his family and what is happening to them under Taliban rule. He remembers when he used to live with 10 family members. NPR KQED reporters ask what it’s like to live alone now.

BH responds “It’s no choice for me. That’s the thing you know”.

Meanwhile, in Kabul/Afghanistan, the advance of the Taliban, as the [blank] organization RANE numerates, focuses on two key outcomes: 1) the reversal of Western human rights and standards in the country, particularly for women, and 2) the devolution of Afghanistan into a terrorist base for outward strikes against distant foreign powers. RANE, 2021 [4] So what?