As of the beginning of 2020, there were 2.6 million Afghan refugees in the world, a number which was growing quickly, according to the UNHCR. With the US withdrawal from Afghanistan on August 30, 2021 and the concurrent Taliban takeover in Kabul, this number will surely rise significantly. The longstanding US backlogs for special visa applications mean that interpreters and other US allies were not allowed to escape to the US before the American military evacuation. We are breaking down what happened when the US left Afghanistan, what that means for people trying to escape persecution, and what the future looks like for the Afghan people.

On Saturday, the 20th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, the Taliban raised their flag over the Afghan presidential palace. Read or listen more about life in Afghanistan moving forward here: https://www.npr.org/2021/09/12/1036387304/what-life-in-afghanistan-will-be-like-under-taliban-rule

We encourage you to keep following this story on your own, and we will try to keep you updated on the major developments. We particularly encourage you to see if any Afghan refugees are coming to your community and learn how you can welcome them.

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If you or someone you know would like to share their personal refugee story, send us an email at [email protected] or connect with us on any of these social media platforms:

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Patrick Anderson

Opening Track: Ketsa - Where We Are (http://bit.ly/2nKJWaW)

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