For this Afghan student at a Missouri university, hope for his homeland seems remote

“We will never see peace in Afghanistan,” an Afghan college student currently attending a Missouri university told me.

As Taliban fighters swept into Kabul in Afghanistan on Sunday, many Afghans were desperately seeking a way out of the embattled nation. One among them is this student I know, who requested anonymity for fear of Taliban retribution against him and his family living in Afghanistan.

The Taliban, a fundamentalist Islamic organization, once ruled the country until a coalition of military powers led by the United States forced them out of power in 2001. The recent withdrawal of U.S. troops in Afghanistan has emboldened these extremists to militarily take over this country of 38 million citizens.

“It is impossible to leave the country because Taliban fighters are controlling the borders and various entry points into the country,” said the college sophomore.

While the Taliban is in charge on the ground, flying out of the country is also not possible. “The airport is taking heavy fire and flights are getting canceled,” he said. “People are hiding. They are very scared.”

This young Afghan came to the United States with his family in 2016 through the United Nations because of the family’s contribution to the U.S. Army’s operations in Afghanistan.

His mother, though, returned to Afghanistan a few months back. The student was visiting her in Afghanistan when the Taliban began to make rapid strides to take over the country.

Until a few months back, things were different in Afghanistan, he said. The Taliban was on the fringes of the nation when his family left for the U.S., he added.

When he went to visit his homeland recently, he could see that the group had already taken over some parts of the country, making it more dangerous to leave the nation’s capital. He is still there, with chaos at the airport making his return trip to Missouri impossible on Tuesday.

In February of 2020, the Taliban reached an agreement with the U.S. government to cease fire and maintain peace in the country.

More than a year after the agreement, President Joe Biden decided to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan. This weekend, the Taliban arrived in the country’s capital, Kabul. Hours after the departure of President Ashraf Ghani, Taliban fighters took control of the presidential palace.

The extremists have wrested control of the national capital, the Afghan student said, and the effects of their diktats are already visible in the streets of Kabul, especially those related to women.

“Schools are being closed for girls. Women are not working and young girls are being forced to get married,” the young Afghan said.

As the fall semester arrives, this young man is worried about his classes. He was offered a scholarship to offset tuition fees, but a prolonged stay in Afghanistan may scuttle his chances of attending college this year.

“My school costs $38,000 per year and without my scholarship, it will be impossible to pay,” he said. He’s trapped in a seemingly inexorable situation, he rued.

“It is heartbreaking to see the brave young policemen and the army trying to defend their country,” he said. “My and my family’s lives are in danger.”

The only way others can help the people of Afghanistan in their moment of crisis is by raising online awareness and bringing the situation to the notice of the world, he said.

However, he does not have much hope at least for the moment.

“The country will never be fixed and peace will never come as long as we have foreign governments and our own greedy government just wanting to fill their pockets,” he said.

Matheus Teles, a native of Santos, Brazil, is a recent graduate of Park University in Parkville.

This story was originally published August 18, 2021 at 5:00 AM.