It has been three weeks since the United States completed its withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan.The country is back under the rule of the Taliban, which took over quickly.Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine recently announced Ohio will resettle 855 Afghan evacuees, including 50 in Cincinnati. A Cincinnati family who is native to Afghanistan is desperate to get their extended family to America.Husna Khan, 17, is a senior at Walnut Hills High Schools. She was born in Afghanistan and came to America with her parents and two siblings when she was 8 years old. "You feel so thankful for the opportunities you have here in the U.S.," she said. "But you also feel this sense of guilt that it's your own people, your own aunts and uncles, your own family members are still stuck there."Khan and her family visited Afghanistan this summer and left just a few days before the Taliban invaded Kabul. Now the family is fearing for family members still in Afghanistan."One of my uncles has already been captured. The Taliban are going door to door," Khan said. "I have a cousin that literally had one month left of medical school before she got her M.D.," she said through tears. "Completely shut down. She won't be able to do it. Khan said her mother started the application paperwork to bring her siblings to America, but the timeline is not promising."That process typically takes about 14 years for people in Afghanistan. We don't have 14 years," Khan said.Khan's mother, who we are not identifying by name due to her family ties in Afghanistan, went to medical school under Taliban rule. She is now a doctor in Cincinnati."You wake up at night and you think about them and you cannot go back to sleep," she said. "Especially people who are highly educated. They are educated for 20 years and now it's gone. Their education is wasted. Now they have to be under restricted rule, staying at home, especially girls. They do not have any hope."Khan's mother said she was captured once by the Taliban but released a few days later. She is discouraged hearing that so many women and girls are losing their access to education.Khan started a virtual mentoring program at the beginning of 2020 to help mentor Afghan women and girls and teach them English. She estimates her program has helped more than 100 women and girls. "So many brilliant people, they deserve to have opportunities here," Khan said.
It has been three weeks since the United States completed its withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan.
The country is back under the rule of the Taliban, which took over quickly.
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine recently announced Ohio will resettle 855 Afghan evacuees, including 50 in Cincinnati.
A Cincinnati family who is native to Afghanistan is desperate to get their extended family to America.
Husna Khan, 17, is a senior at Walnut Hills High Schools. She was born in Afghanistan and came to America with her parents and two siblings when she was 8 years old.
"You feel so thankful for the opportunities you have here in the U.S.," she said. "But you also feel this sense of guilt that it's your own people, your own aunts and uncles, your own family members are still stuck there."
Khan and her family visited Afghanistan this summer and left just a few days before the Taliban invaded Kabul. Now the family is fearing for family members still in Afghanistan.
"One of my uncles has already been captured. The Taliban are going door to door," Khan said.
"I have a cousin that literally had one month left of medical school before she got her M.D.," she said through tears. "Completely shut down. She won't be able to do it.
Khan said her mother started the application paperwork to bring her siblings to America, but the timeline is not promising.
"That process typically takes about 14 years for people in Afghanistan. We don't have 14 years," Khan said.
Khan's mother, who we are not identifying by name due to her family ties in Afghanistan, went to medical school under Taliban rule. She is now a doctor in Cincinnati.
"You wake up at night and you think about them and you cannot go back to sleep," she said. "Especially people who are highly educated. They are educated for 20 years and now it's gone. Their education is wasted. Now they have to be under restricted rule, staying at home, especially girls. They do not have any hope."
Khan's mother said she was captured once by the Taliban but released a few days later. She is discouraged hearing that so many women and girls are losing their access to education.
Khan started a virtual mentoring program at the beginning of 2020 to help mentor Afghan women and girls and teach them English. She estimates her program has helped more than 100 women and girls.
"So many brilliant people, they deserve to have opportunities here," Khan said.
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