Afghans speak of desperation and uncertainty after evacuation to Qatar

The advance of the Taliban has led to a massive evacuation of Afghans and foreigners amid fears of retaliation and a return to a harsh interpretation of Islamic law.

“It was very difficult to leave my country,” a veiled woman told Reuters in Doha, Qatar. “I love my country.”

She explained that before the Taliban arrived, she never expected to go anywhere. The woman said she fled with her husband, a dentist and three children, fearing that her work with international humanitarian organizations would make her a target of the Taliban. She described traumatic scenes at Kabul airport as thousands rushed to board evacuation flights.

At one point, when the crowd tried to rush into the airport, she recalls, a man standing next to her was shot in the leg by “soldiers”. Reuters was unable to independently verify the claim.

“It was just shocking and I didn’t know what to do.” The woman is among hundreds of evacuees temporarily accommodated at a residential complex in Doha visited by Reuters.

The government of Qatar is taking in thousands of evacuees until they can enter a third country.

A man in the precinct told Reuters he did not expect the Taliban to keep their promises, which included respect for women’s rights and an amnesty for those who worked for the government or with foreigners.

“Most disturbing is that there is not much hope for the future,” said the man, who arrived in Doha this week with his wife, three children, parents and two. sisters.

The man, a lawyer, said he was concerned that if he had remained in Afghanistan he would have also become a target of the Taliban, in part because of his work with international companies.

“It will be a very, very different and difficult life ahead of us,” he said. The Afghans Reuters spoke to in Doha have all requested anonymity over concerns over family members still in Afghanistan.

“It is not easy because they are not safe,” said the man. “A lot is expected of me to help them get out of this and sometimes you really see yourself being really helpless. “

Another man, a sophomore law student at the university, spoke of Taliban looting as they took control of Kabul and said he saw armed militants intimidating people on their way to the airport.

Evacuated to Qatar with his sister, he does not know how he will be able to finish his studies. He left behind his wife, whom he married on a video call before evacuating.

“Our spirits are back home because our families are staying. My wife is there. My parents are there, my brothers and sisters. I just hope they get evacuated… in case that doesn’t happen and things go wrong, I think I would make up my mind and wish to go back.