Hundreds of United States green card holders who were left behind in Afghanistan following the last evacuation flight that left Kabul airport on Monday, have accused the United States of “lies, betrayal and broken promises”. Jawed Habibi; a US Green Card holder of Richmond, VA, stranded in the Afghan capital shared his ordeal.
According to Association Press(AP), Jawed Habibi said he received calls from the US government that his wife and their four daughters would not be left behind. They were told to stay at home and not worry, that they would be evacuated.
On August 30, his heart sank when he heard that the last US flights had departed Kabul airport, followed by the blaring of Taliban gunfire, which he saw as his victory over the US.
“They lied to us,” Jawed Habibi said of the US government.
Last week, hundreds of people gathered near an evacuation control checkpoint on the perimeter of Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan.
Victoria Nuland, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, would not address individual matters, but said all US citizens and lawful permanent residents who could not receive evacuation flights or were otherwise stranded were contacted personally in the past 24 hours and was told to expect further information once those routes have been arranged.
State Department spokesman Ned Price said, “We will communicate with them directly about individual instructions on what they should do when they should do it, and what the United States government thinks we do best to help them do so.” are in position.”
Foreign Minister Antony Blinken praised the efforts to evacuate people despite thousands of people jammed outside the gates at Kabul airport. He said between 100 and 200 remained in Afghanistan, promising that any American who wanted to leave Afghanistan would be kicked out.
However, for some of the survivors, the trauma of trying for nearly two weeks to board a US plane is still excruciating.
Jawed Habibi, an electrician who has been living in Richmond on a special immigration visa since 2015, returned to visit Afghanistan on June 22 – the first time his family had returned since 2019. His return flight was to take place on August 31.
About August 18, Habibi said he had received an email from the US government saying that his family who are all green card holders, except their youngest children, who hold US passports – would be evicted.
Later emails said he should take his family to Kabul airport. He obeyed, but the crazy crush of the guys prevented him from approaching the gate on his first two attempts.
His 15-years-old daughter; Medina, who is very fluent in English and works as a spokesman for the family, said she and her younger sister were nearly crushed at the airport. The family wrote back, “This is very dangerous. We cannot go into the crowd,” she said.
She said the emails kept coming, saying they should go to the airport.
By August 25, the email had been replaced by a phone call from Arlington, Virginia, Medina said. The callers, who identified themselves as being from the US embassy, told the family to stay at home and the government was aware of their location, she said, speaking for her father.
Habibi said it still took four or five more attempts, even recruiting friends and relatives to join the crowd with the family, forming a kind of protective circle. Dunya, the youngest of four girls, is 2 years old and was born in America
Habibi said that on at least two occasions, he got so close to the gate that his passport was scanned but he was denied entry. He shouted at the American soldiers, waving their documents.
“What does this green card mean? nothing. They did nothing,” he said.
Medina, who spoke to most of the callers in Virginia, said he told them the family was from Richmond. As the evacuation ended, Medina said a caller promised, “We’re going to get you out. You’re not going to get stuck. Do not worry. We know where you are.”
Habibi said that he had also promised to pick them up in a car.
“He lied. He did nothing,” he said.
Habibi says the Taliban have not threatened him and no one has harassed him but he is still scared. He said the news and horrific posts on social media had convinced him that the Taliban would kill him, although he admitted he was not aware of anyone being targeted.
“I’m just scared. I follow the news,” he said.
He said he knew of several families, some of whom have American green cards, who are still in Afghanistan.
Medina said Marcia Viger Perez, a teacher at her former school, Dumbarton Elementary, started a prayer chain for her safe return.
“Every day they call me,” she said.
Another Afghan native who asked to be identified only as Ajmal for fear of reprisal, said he, his two brothers, and their families — a total of 16 people — were in Virginia after another brother submitted paperwork. An emergency immigrant visa was granted for evacuation.
Ajmal displayed US government emails saying “Please make your way to Hamid Karzai International Airport” and use the Camp Sullivan Gate, not the civilian entrance, although he was also warned That gate can change daily.
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He said he and his relatives went to the airport, but heavy gunfire by the Taliban and the crush of thousands of people sent them back home. He said that on one occasion, he and his family received an email that he would be picked up at a location near the airport at 3 a.m. He and his family waited on the road until 9 a.m., but No one came, he said.
His brother, Vice, a US citizen living in Virginia, said he had petitioned the senators and filed paperwork to bring his family to the US.
“I am disappointed and angry” at US officials, Vays said. “All the time they say, ‘We’re working on this, we’re working on this,’ but then – nothing.”
The Biden administration has said it expects the Taliban to continue allowing safe passage for Americans and others to leave Afghanistan after the U.S. military withdrawal is completed. But there are concerns about how those citizens will be able to leave if Kabul airport is not functioning.
Although the Taliban have pledged to allow all foreign nationals and Afghan citizens with travel authorization from another country to leave Afghanistan, it is unclear what their fate will be.
