- As the Taliban make progress in the country, Afghans are queuing to collect travel documents.
- About 10,000 people apply for passports every day.
- Some say they are afraid of violence from the Taliban.
Like thousands of his compatriots, Abdel Khalid Nabyar (Abdel Khalid Nabyar) waited outside Afghanistan’s main passport office to apply for precious travel documents that would allow him to leave the war-torn area s country.
With the withdrawal of foreign troops, the Taliban has made great progress in the countryside, and many Afghans-at least those who are able-are looking for a way out.
“If the situation worsens, we may have to leave,” said 52-year-old Nabiar, who felt particularly vulnerable because he used to run a shop on a NATO military base.
Read | Thousands of Afghan families fled fighting in former Taliban fortress
Not everyone will quit immediately, but most people want a safety net-knowing that they can leave in a short time.
“People want to prepare in advance to prevent problems,” Nabiar added.
On most days before dawn, dozens of people began to line up at the passport office in Kabul. By eight o’clock in the morning, the line was already 100 meters in line.
‘Normal request’
Read | UN warns Taliban attacks have caused “unprecedented” Afghan civilian deaths
The applicant walked forward slowly, clutching the clear plastic folder containing the documents. Occasionally, a policeman is needed to put a collar on the jumper and try his luck.
An official seemed annoyed by the reporter’s interest in the crowd.
“Getting a passport is a normal requirement for any Afghan,” she said.
But in recent weeks, the number of applications has been unusual.
A police officer said: “We receive about 10,000 people every day, but under normal circumstances there are only 2,000 people.”
Khalilullah, a 36-year-old engineer, arrived with his wife and three children at 05:00.
“There are already 300 people in the queue,” he said more than three hours after joining the queue.
As part of the process, applicants need to take photos, record eye biometrics, collect fingerprints, and conduct thorough security checks to take good measures.
Zeenat Bahar Nazari had been waiting for several hours in an interview with Agence France-Presse.
“When we were kids, our family said that the Taliban…killed and made them disappear,” said the 23-year-old computer science student.
“They abused women, did not allow them to receive education, and deprived them of their basic rights.”
‘glorious future’
Although Nazari is too young to remember the Taliban’s first regime from 1996 to 2001, she knows what they have done since then.
“The only thing I know is that the Taliban have terrifying faces-fighting, suicide bombings and bloody massacres,” she said.
“When you go to school or university, you want a bright future, but if the Taliban are in power, hope for a bright future will disappear.”
Many people in the line don’t know where they will go if given the opportunity-or if any other country will even own them.
Most countries require Afghans to apply for visas, which require a large number of documents and financial stability certificates that few people have.
Nevertheless, everyone wants to be prepared.
“Our lives are in danger; we have no choice,” said the 52-year-old Sardar, who declined to reveal more identity because he was worried about his own life after working as an interpreter for a British civil society organization.
Interpreters in foreign troops and embassies are particularly vulnerable to Taliban retaliation, and many countries have evacuated thousands of people under emergency visa programs.
Former civil servant Haji Sayed Mohammad Sultani wanted a passport, but couldn’t imagine becoming a refugee again-as he did during the Taliban regime and the previous Soviet invasion and civil war.
“As long as Afghanistan is livable, we will not leave our country,” said the 45-year-old.
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