California families relay harrowing escape from Afghanistan

3 years ago 282

EL CAJON, Calif. – When Yousef's woman and their 4 children boarded a July 15 formation successful San Diego to be her brother's wedding successful Afghanistan, they were looking guardant to a period of household gatherings. It was agelong overdue — the coronavirus pandemic prevented them from traveling earlier.

Their instrumentality summons was Aug. 15, 2 days earlier their children's schoolhouse twelvemonth began successful the San Diego suburb of El Cajon.

But the Afghan-American household recovered themselves dodging gunfire and trying to unit their mode into the crowds of thousands ringing the airdrome successful Kabul aft Afghanistan's authorities collapsed and the Taliban seized power.

Yousef's woman and children were among 8 families from El Cajon who recovered themselves trapped aft U.S. troops raced to evacuate Americans and allies and past near the country. Yousef asked that lone his archetypal sanction beryllium utilized due to the fact that helium inactive has household successful Afghanistan who could beryllium astatine risk.

All but 1 of the families got retired with the assistance of the Cajon Valley Union School District and Republican Rep. Darrell Issa, whose territory includes El Cajon, a metropolis with a ample exile population. The families had traveled connected their ain implicit the summertime to spot relatives and were not portion of an organized trip.

Several of the families, accompanied by Issa and schoolhouse officials, spoke to reporters Thursday for the archetypal clip since they returned, recounting their harrowing experience.

The parents described moving with their kids arsenic gunfire whizzed overhead. One begetter said helium was beaten by the Taliban. They said they were blocked astatine Taliban checkpoints.

They said they are grateful to beryllium backmost but their children person suffered nightmares, and they interest astir the household that was incapable to get out, on with countless others inactive stuck there, including distant relatives.

“My kids are present harmless astatine location close present acknowledgment to God and each of you,” Yousef said.

But helium asked radical not to hide astir truthful galore others, including U.S. citizens, greenish paper holders and Afghans who are astatine hazard for helping the American government. He held successful his manus a folder that helium said contained the documents of 30 radical who qualified for a peculiar migrant visa and should beryllium successful the United States but are inactive successful Afghanistan, hopeless to escape.

President Joe Biden has said betwixt 100 and 200 Americans were near down erstwhile U.S. troops completed their withdrawal Aug. 31, galore of them dual citizens. The State Department has fixed nary estimation for the fig of greenish paper holders nor the fig of Afghans who stay who helped the U.S. authorities during the 20-year warfare and were recipients of a peculiar migrant visa to travel to the United States.

Issa said helium believes the fig to beryllium overmuch higher for U.S. citizens and the others. Many of the families helium helped get backmost to California successful the past week are greenish paper holders. Some are U.S. citizens.

“We're delighted to person these kids backmost successful schoolhouse and their parents united, but we besides cognize that there's a batch much enactment to do," Issa said.

Yousef said helium felt helpless being successful California, thousands of miles away, fearing the beingness they had built would travel to a halt and his woman and children would beryllium trapped successful the state ruled by the Taliban. He, his woman and children are each U.S. citizens. They came to the United States connected a peculiar migrant visa aft Yousef worked for the U.S. authorities successful Afghanistan.

After they failed to get into the airdrome connected Aug. 15, his woman and kids returned to their relative's home.

Yousef alerted his household from El Cajon that the U.S. Embassy successful Kabul was advising radical not to spell to the airdrome due to the fact that of threats.

Eight hours later, suicide bombers acceptable disconnected explosions astatine the airport, sidesplitting 13 U.S. troops and much than 170 others.

Yousef said Issa's squad arranged a clip for his household to spell to the airdrome with an escort from U.S. authorities.

“It was similar a concern room," Yousef said of talking to Issa's squad portion navigating his household done the chaos from afar. “I was sitting present talking to them. They were sending their locations and worldly similar this."

His household returned location Friday. The archetypal happening helium did was instrumentality them to IHOP, their favourite restaurant.

He hopes much of those blessed moments volition overtake the traumatic memories his kids hold. His 7-year-old son, his youngest, has been talking astir the violence.

“They are talking astir it, astir the gunfire, and being frightened of the Taliban, but we anticipation they hide each that" and instrumentality to their beingness arsenic regular American kids, Yousef said.

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