Kabul update: Some Modestans stuck in Afghanistan reach airport
Some Modesto-area residents stranded in Afghanistan on Tuesday reached relative safety at the Kabul international airport, part of which is controlled by the United States military, and await evacuation.
Sam, whose tense story of hiding from the Taliban was published Monday by The Modesto Bee, said he and his wife made it to the airport, then boarded a plane heading to a holding station in Qatar before continuing on to the United States.
“My sister-in-law and her children,” who are Modesto residents, “couldn’t make it through the gates today,” said Sam, who doesn’t want his real name used because he fears retribution from Taliban fighters. He helped U.S. military agents in Afghanistan before resettling in Modesto and becoming a U.S. citizen, and he fears immediate execution if his identity is discovered.
Sam said conditions remain chaotic — Afghan army guards fired in the air when crowds got unruly, he said — but his cell signal was spotty Tuesday and more information was not immediately available. A recent Taliban declaration of “amnesty” remains unclear but may signal that some are being allowed to leave the country.
A spokesman for U.S. Rep. Josh Harder, put in touch with Sam after The Bee’s Monday account, said three families apparently reached the airport safe zone Tuesday. Harder’s office established an information website and now are in contact with 158 people in limbo in Kabul, spokesman Andrew Mamo said.
At least 38 Modesto-area residents are stranded, World Relief Modesto said, and are among thousands desperate to flee as the Taliban takes control of Kabul, the capitol city.
All are Afghani natives or their children who resettled in or near Modesto in recent years and went to visit family in their homeland after COVID-19 travel restrictions were lifted.
Their stays in Afghanistan were intended to be temporary, but they are in tense limbo now that transportation out of the country has all but dried up. Because of their ties with the United States, including American citizenship for some, they fear retaliation by the Taliban, and many are in hiding.
Harder’s webpage is harder.house.gov/Afghanistan-Evacuation-Resources, and Modesto Junior College, which has many students from Afghanistan, established another. Both provide information meant to help those in limbo gain permission from the U.S. government to evacuate.
The office of U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein also reached out after reading The Bee’s account, and offers similar repatriation help at 415-393-0764.
Harder told The Bee Tuesday, “My job is to help Valley families no matter where in the world they might be. We’re working around the clock doing everything we can to help the State Department get our neighbors home.”
Meanwhile, World Relief Modesto is bracing for an influx of Afghani families who were able to flee just before the Taliban took over. The families have been undergoing relocation processing at Fort Lee in Virginia, and an unknown number are expected to arrive in Modesto on Tuesday.
People wanting to help can contact World Relief Modesto at its website, its Facebook page or by calling 209-491-2712. Housing is the most immediate need. Volunteers can also help transport new arrivals or bring them meals.
Donations helping incoming Afghanis can be made to the International Rescue Committee at rescue.org.
This story was originally published August 17, 2021 at 12:55 PM.
