Directions: Read these short stories then answer the questions below.
"California families relay harrowing escape from Afghanistan"
When Yousef's wife and their four children boarded a July 15 flight in San Diego to attend her brother's wedding in Afghanistan, they were looking forward to a month of family gatherings.Their return ticket to the United States was August 15, two days before their children's school year would begin in El Cajon, California, a suburb of San Diego. Yousef, who remained in California, looked forward to their return. This Afghan American family, however, found themselves dodging gunfire on their return date, trying to force their way into the crowds of people all around the airport at the capital, Kabul. Everyone was trying to get out of the country. Afghanistan's government had collapsed and the Taliban, a militant group that ran Afghanistan in the late 1990s, had seized power again. U.S. troops had been in Afghanistan for 20 years, ever since they helped remove the Taliban from power in 2001. The United States and other Western nations also helped set up a government.
"Eight Families From California Left Behind"
In 2021 the U.S. decided to end its longest war and withdraw its soldiers from the country. Suddenly, however, the government fell and chaos gripped Kabul. In August, U.S. troops hurried to get Americans and allies out of the country, and the last U.S. soldier left on August 31. Yousef's wife and children were among eight families from El Cajon who were left behind.
Yousef's family and several other families finally got out of Afghanistan. The Cajon Valley Union School District and their representative in Congress, Republican Darrell Issa, assisted them.
Several of the families spoke to reporters last week. Yousef asked that only his first name be used in this story because he still has relatives in Afghanistan who could be at risk.
The parents described running with their kids as gunfire whizzed overhead. One father said he was beaten by the Taliban. They said they were kept from getting to the airport by Taliban checkpoints.They said they are grateful to be back in the U.S., but that they worry about the family members unable to get out.
"Safe At Home Right Now Thanks To God And All Of You"
"My kids are now safe at home right now thanks to God and all of you," Yousef said.
He asked, however, that people not forget the many others left behind. These include U.S. citizens, as well as people with permission to live in the U.S., and Afghans who are at risk because they helped the American government. For the past 20 years, Afghans have worked with U.S. forces to oppose the Taliban. Yousef held a folder that he said contained the documents of 30 people from Afghanistan who qualified for a special immigrant visa. They should be in the United States, he said, but they are still trapped in Afghanistan, desperate to escape.President Joe Biden has said between 100 and 200 Americans were left behind when U.S. troops completed their withdrawal August 31. Many of those left behind are Afghan Americans. The State Department has given no estimate for others who hope to leave Afghanistan. These include U.S. green card holders, people who have permission to live in the United States. Other Afghans received the special visas because they helped Americans during the 20-year war. Congressman Issa said there might be more U.S. citizens and others who were left behind than the U.S. government admits. Yousef said he felt helpless being in California, thousands of miles away, fearing the life he and his family had built would come to a halt and his wife and children would be trapped in Afghanistan ruled by the Taliban. He and his family are all U.S. citizens. They came to this country on a special immigrant visa after Yousef worked for the U.S. government in Afghanistan.
"U.S. Authorities Escort Family To Airport"
Yousef said Issa's team arranged a time for his family to go to the airport with an escort from U.S. authorities. He described talking to Issa's team from where he was in California. At the same time, he was navigating his family through the chaos in Afghanistan.His family returned home to California on Friday, September 3. The first thing he did was take them to IHOP, the International House of Pancakes. It's their favorite restaurant.He hopes more of those happy moments will wipe away the deeply distressing memories his kids have. His 7-year-old son, his youngest, has been talking about the violence."They are talking about it, about the gunfire, and being scared of the Taliban, but we hope they forget all that," said Yousef. He wants them to return to their lives as regular American kids.
Questions:
Imagine that you are one of Yousef’s children. How are you feeling before this trip?
How are you feeling during this trip?
How are you feeling after you get home from this trip?
