Afghan refugee in Indonesia fears for countrymen as homeland plunges into "darkness"

Record ID: 1632968

  • Title: Afghan refugee in Indonesia fears for countrymen as homeland plunges into "darkness"
  • Date: 19th August 2021
  • Summary: CIAWI, WEST JAVA PROVINCE, INDONESIA (AUGUST 18, 2021) (REUTERS) AFGHAN REFUGEE RESIDING IN INDONESIA, WHO WANTS TO BE KNOWN AS AZIS, KICKING BALL AT HIS HOME / AZIS STANDING (SOUNDBITE) (Bahasa Indonesia) REFUGEE FROM AFGHANISTAN, AZIS, SAYING: "I'm Azis, I'm 34 years old, and I'm a futsal coach. My biggest hope is Afghanistan will be free (from the Taliban) and futsal will flourish (in the country)." VARIOUS OF AZIS'S WIFE COOKING EGGS AZIS' FAMILY SERVING MEAL (SOUNDBITE) (Bahasa Indonesia) REFUGEE FROM AFGHANISTAN, AZIS, SAYING: "There have always been problems in Afghanistan, it's been unsafe for almost 50 years. Now the problems are getting worse after the Taliban came, took control of Afghanistan, and becoming the only lawmaker. This situation is very dangerous for us, the Hazaras because they don't like us. They (the Taliban) think the Hazaras are not Afghans because our features look like Chinese and Japanese, and they (the Taliban) do not consider us as native Afghans." VARIOUS OF AZIS EATING WITH HIS FAMILY (SOUNDBITE) (Bahasa Indonesia) REFUGEE FROM AFGHANISTAN, AZIS, SAYING: "Yes, they (Azis' uncle and his family) are stuck in their house and are afraid to leave their house. Now they are looking for ways to get out of Afghanistan because my family does not feel safe there." AZIS AND HIS SON EATING AZIS' WIFE EATING (SOUNDBITE) (Bahasa Indonesia) REFUGEE FROM AFGHANISTAN, AZIS, SAYING: "I don't know what would be the future of football in Afghanistan. What is the fate of women and sports? And what about the women who want to go to school? Now there are more problems, and people are wondering what to do. To describe it in English, it (Afghanistan) is in darkness." AZIS' SON EATING FAMILY EATING (SOUNDBITE) (Bahasa Indonesia) REFUGEE FROM AFGHANISTAN, AZIS, SAYING: "I hope Afghanistan will become better, but I'm not hopeful. The Taliban needs to be replaced. I think it's better for the Taliban to leave and replace (the governance) with democracy." VARIOUS OF AZIS AND HIS WIFE SEATED AT HOME AZIS LOOKING ON AZIS' WIFE AND SON LEAVING HOME
  • Embargoed: 2nd September 2021 07:51
  • Keywords: Afghan nationals Afghanistan Hazara Indonesia Islamist Taliban conflict insurgents militants refugee
  • Location: CIAWI, INDONESIA
  • City: CIAWI, INDONESIA
  • Country: Indonesia
  • Topics: Asia / Pacific,Conflicts/War/Peace
  • Reuters ID: LVA001EQY1LC7
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text:After the Taliban seized the Afghan capital on Sunday (August 15), scenes of chaos in and around the Kabul airport with people desperately trying to get out of the country were reported for days.
    Afghan refugee Azis felt the familiar sense of desperation of his countrymen as he watched the events unfold.
    Decades of war in Afghanistan have driven millions of Afghans out of their landlocked homeland to neighbouring countries over the years. Like many others, Azis' family fled to Iran when he was five, where he stayed until relocating to Indonesia seven years ago.
    The latest turmoil saw Taliban forces retake Afghanistan at lightning speed, as the U.S. and other foreign forces withdrew, leading to chaotic scenes at the airport with diplomats, foreign citizens, and Afghans trying to flee but they are being impeded by crowds and Taliban checkpoints.
    Even though Azis is far away from the conflict, he still has family in Afghanistan. His worries are His family belongs to the Hazara ethnic minority who have for decades been targeted by militants, including the Taliban and Islamic State, for their ethnicity and religious beliefs and this is an extra reason for worry.
    Most of the Hazara are Shi'ite Muslims, whom Sunni hardliners like the Taliban abhor, and the community has faced persecution and violence for decades, including recent attacks on a maternity hospital and a girls' school.
    "This situation is very dangerous for us, the Hazaras because they (the Taliban) don't like us. They think the Hazaras are not Afghans because our features look like Chinese and Japanese, and they do not consider us as native Afghans," the 34-year-old's futsal coach told Reuters in Indonesia's Ciawi, where he and family have been living while waiting to be relocated to a third country.
    "I don't know what would be the future of football in Afghanistan. What is the fate of women and sports? And what about the women who want to go to school? Now there are more problems," he said. "I hope Afghanistan will become better, but I'm not hopeful."
    (Production: Johan Purnomo, Heru Asprihanto, Angie Teo)
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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