The United States Is at Risk of Failing Our Afghan Allies

• Jurisdiction: United States,Federal
• Citation: Vol. 4 No. 1
• Publication year: 2022

The United States Is at Risk of Failing Our Afghan Allies

Here's How the Biden Administration Can Prevent That ¹

Mahsa Khanbabai and Parastoo Zahedi ^*

When the United States withdrew from Afghanistan in August 2021, we left tens of thousands of Afghan allies behind. For many who had worked alongside Americans for the past two decades, Afghanistan has become a death trap. But the United States has the means—and more importantly, an obligation—to help them get out.

Twenty years ago, America helped Afghans build a new reality for themselves, from training a cadre of women judges to supporting the blossoming of girl's schools. Across every aspect of society, those Afghans who were launching their dreams are now hiding in fear as the Taliban go door-to-door, searching for high-value targets.

We personally know many of these targets. As immigration attorneys, we represent hundreds of Afghans whose lives are at risk since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan.

One of our clients fearlessly advocated for women's rights and education in Afghanistan for over ten years working at The Ministry of Women Affairs, recently renamed by the Taliban as the Ministry of Virtue. She would visit young women...