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🇦🇺 Australia /Culture & Society

'Afghanistan Has Been Forgotten,' Says Woman Who Escaped Taliban Takeover

From ABC Australia · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

In-depth Named sources Context piece
  • Five years after the Taliban's return to power in Afghanistan, a woman named Salma reflects on being forgotten by the international community.
  • Salma recounts the fear and chaos of the Taliban takeover in August 2021, describing Kabul as a "city of ghosts."
  • She and her family narrowly escaped the country through the Kabul airport amidst desperate crowds, relying on her Australian citizen brother for help.

Five years after the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan, a woman named Salma feels the world has moved on, leaving her home country forgotten. Now living in Australia, the 27-year-old reflects on the harrowing events of August 2021, when the Taliban swept back into power just days after her engagement party in Kabul.

I woke up and I imagined so many things, but not that the Taliban would be outside.

— SalmaSalma describes the shock of the Taliban's swift return to power in August 2021.

Salma described waking up to the unexpected arrival of the Taliban, a scenario she had never imagined. At 22, she was halfway through her master's degree. The takeover plunged the city into a state of fear and uncertainty. "We thought maybe another war would happen but no one was expecting the government to leave," she said, recalling the fear on her family's faces as embassies closed and prisoners were released.

Afghanistan isn't being talked about anymore, Afghanistan has been forgotten.

— SalmaSalma expresses her feeling that the international community has lost interest in Afghanistan's plight.

The escape was fraught with danger. Salma's family, including her three-month-old nephew, fled their home with only essential belongings. Driving to the airport, Salma witnessed the drastic change in Kabul. "It felt like the same city, the same buildings, the same street, but a city of ghosts," she recalled, noting the complete absence of women on the streets. Navigating Taliban checkpoints and tanks, it took two attempts over two days to reach the airport.

It felt like the same city, the same buildings, the same street, but a city of ghosts.

— SalmaSalma describes the eerie atmosphere in Kabul during the Taliban takeover.

At the airport, the scene was chaotic, with hundreds of people desperately seeking evacuation. "You could hear people firing guns to control the huge crowds," Salma said, describing mothers holding up their children and people pushing towards the military presence. After spending the night in a holding area, Salma and her family were able to board a flight, facilitated in part by her Australian citizen brother who worked in academia and was contacted by the Australian government for repatriation.

You could not see a single woman on the street.

— SalmaSalma notes the immediate and visible impact of the Taliban's rule on women's public presence.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by ABC Australia in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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