‘They Are Terrified’ Maryland Family Desperate To Help Relatives Escape Afghanistan

3 years ago 359

BALTIMORE (WJZ) — For the Salehi family’s loved ones In Afghanistan, the contiguous lifeline for flight is gone arsenic the United States has present withdrawn from the country.

“The toll to the household has been precise significant. They person each been successful a authorities of full panic essentially,” Azim Salehi told WJZ Investigator Mike Hellgren. “They don’t cognize what’s going to hap next, and they are looking astatine america arsenic their lone anticipation to get them retired of there.”

All the Salehi household tin bash present is ticker and hold from their location astir 7,000 miles distant successful Howard County and effort to support their 9 relatives successful Kabul calm.

“Two to 3 times a time they telephone my woman and they speech and they are terrified,” Azim said. “Think astir those radical who don’t person immoderate household successful the United States. Think astir those radical who don’t person nutrient to eat. They are successful a horrible situation. Think astir that teen who held onto the airplane and was dropped from the sky. Think astir however fortunate we are.”

Desperate to leave, household members tried heading to the Kabul airdrome and narrowly missed the deadly detonation determination past week.

“They decided let’s instrumentality our chances and spell to the airport. They were astir a artifact and a fractional distant from the blast. They were fortunate but terrified, and they turned astir and came back. If they had near possibly 10 minutes earlier, they would person astir apt been killed.”

Among their relatives is simply a teenage girl, the aforesaid property arsenic Azim’s girl Zorah Salehi, excessively frightened of the Taliban to permission the house.

“How acrophobic are you for her?” Hellgren asked Zorah. “Very. I couldn’t ideate being successful that situation. I consciousness truly atrocious for my household implicit there,” she said.

Azim Salehi and his woman person tried contacting Maryland lawmakers and adjutant groups—anything to get the household escaped from Taliban rule—but their efforts truthful acold person not been successful.

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“When we archer them they’re going to beryllium ok, we are not assured that things are going to beryllium ok. I don’t cognize what to archer them,” helium said. “They are family. Our location is unfastened to them. Our large interest is to get them retired of there. It doesn’t substance wherever they go. They conscionable person to beryllium safe.”