The gut-wrenching scenes at the Kabul International Airport over the past week have looked and felt like a nightmare, leaving many in shock, disbelief and anger. As I received messages of support – and many questions – from colleagues, friends and acquaintances, I tried to suppress my own fury.
Though I have spent most of my life outside of Afghanistan, I always kept a keen interest in and connection to the country. I found myself watching, together with the rest of the world, as the Taliban were closing in, taking another city, another provincial capital. I was watching as my country of birth and its people were being pushed once again into the darkness of Taliban rule.
The chaos at Kabul airport is just the tip of the iceberg. It is a vivid image of fear and panic, caused by the shameful betrayal of a people and a country. Yesterday everything became even more tragic when explosions hit the crowds of civilians that had gathered at the gates of the airport.
