Several Colorado Families Stuck in Afghanistan Face an Uncertain Future
According to multiple news outlets this week, several families from our state are currently trapped in Afghanistan after U.S. forces were pulled out of the area this week, and Taliban forces took control.
We are choosing to withhold the names of the members of these families for safety reasons, but we will refer to some by their first initial.
According to 9News, a Denver man (H) and his family, who have lived in the United States since 2009 (but have been in Denver since 2015) traveled to Afghanistan this summer. H's father was suffering from an undisclosed illness and the family wanted to fly out to care for him, but they never expected to become trapped in the middle of an international crisis.
H told 9News in a phone call he knows at least five other families from Colorado who are also stuck in the country.
One anonymous Englewood man is currently trying to get his children and wife out of Kabul, according to KDVR. The outlet noted that the man, who wishes to keep his identity hidden for safety reasons:
...said his wife and kids are in Afghanistan visiting family. But he said his wife called him from Kabul on Saturday evening crying and said the Taliban was all over the city and that she wanted to come home.
Both families have expressed to the outlets their concerns for not only their safety, but their family's safety. For one thing, despite the fact that the airport is under U.S. Control, Taliban forces are blindly shooting at crowds and putting individual's lives in danger. Several airlines have canceled flights after the airport became overrun with citizens trying desperately to escape the country.
Denver7 provided an update on their Facebook page Monday, August 16, that some families from Afghanistan have luckily begun to arrive in Colorado safely, so hope for these individuals and more remain.
We will keep you updated on Colorado-based families in Afghanistan and their return to our state as more information becomes available over the next few weeks.