An American mother trapped in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan says she is worried she will never see her children again, is hiding with family members and Afghan allies and unable to reach the US-controlled Kabul airport for a chance to evacuate.
“I really gave up hope and gave up on going to the airport,” the woman told Fox News, whose identity has been withheld due to safety concerns. βIt is not possible to get past all these people.β
She added that there are as many as 20 Taliban checkpoints between them and the airport and she is one of an unconfirmed number of American citizens trapped behind Taliban lines.
She said she was beaten by Taliban fighters in one of her attempts. A man standing near her was shot in the head in another attempt, leaving his wife and child crying and since then she has been in hiding.
We just received this audio from an incredibly brave American in Kabul. She was attacked each time she tried to reach the airport. Despite the danger to herself, she wants us to share this. We must guarantee the safety of Americans and our allies before it is too late. pic.twitter.com/Oq6R7YuWuJ
β Rep. Carol Miller (@RepCarolMiller) August 21, 2021
“We are devastated, we are afraid for our lives. Every moment a car passes by, I feel like they are going to drag us and execute us. I don’t know if I will ever see my children again.”
She explained that the situation was terrible and even hopeless. She would rather commit suicide than let the Taliban capture her.
Despite the Taliban’s assurances to the United States that Americans would be allowed to pass through checkpoints around the airport, it said it feared showing its American passport to militants who might be members of other terrorist groups, including ISIS and al-Qaeda.
And a message to President Biden read: “Please, Mr. President, please leave us, we need help.”
As of Saturday evening, she was hiding with her aunt, a former Afghan parliamentarian, and uncle, as well as an unknown number of contractors and children.
Her brother, a former military translator and contractor now in the UK, said at least two of his colleagues had been killed by Taliban fighters in the past two days.