- Title: Afghan visa recipient and family make a fresh start in Houston, Texas
- Date: 27th August 2021
- Summary: HOUSTON, TEXAS, UNITED STATES (AUGUST 26, 2021)(REUTERS) SIV [U.S. SPECIAL IMMIGRATION VISA] RECIPIENT ABDUL AMAN SEDIQI IN KITCHEN OF HIS HOUSTON, TEXAS APARTMENT, TURNING ON STOVE / HIS SON ELYAN WALKING IN WIDE OF SEDIQI AND HIS FAMILY IN KITCHEN CLOSE ON SEDIQI PUTTING FOOT ON POT ON OVEN SEDIQI AND HIS WIFE, MAH ROKH, IN KITCHEN WIDE OF APARTMENT, WITH CHILDREN, EDRIS [L] AND ELYAN [R] IN LIVING ROOM AND SEDIQI AND HIS WIFE MAH ROKH IN KITCHEN (SOUNDBITE) (Dari) U.S. SPECIAL IMMIGRATION VISA RECIPIENT, ABDUL AMAN SEDIQI, SAYING: "I worked in mine clearance with the American Special Forces. I cleared mines, we would go on main roads, small villages, paths, roads, streets. If there were night operations, we would go to that too, narrow streets, narrow paths. We would de-mine houses. We would de-mine houses. We also carried weapons and if there was ever an attack we would fight too." VARIOUS OF SEDIQI'S SONS, EDRIS [L] AND ELYAN [R], PLAYING IN LIVING ROOM CLOSE ON ELYAN PLAYING WITH STICKER BOOK (SOUNDBITE) (Dari) U.S. SPECIAL IMMIGRATION VISA RECIPIENT, ABDUL AMAN SEDIQI, SAYING (ASKED WHAT HAPPENED ON THE DAY TALIBAN ENTERED KABUL): "It happened suddenly, we never imagined that Kabul would fall and we would face this difficulty with our flight being that day. We had a flight ticket, we came to pick it up, but suddenly we saw that the city was crowded, people were rushing toward the airport. We asked what had happened, they said 'the Taliban had reached Kabul's door and Kabul is about to fall, we are trying to leave Kabul'. We became hopeless about what we should do. We went to the airport and it was shut, they weren't allowing anybody to enter. We turned back." CLOSE ON ELYAN TRYING TO OPEN PISTACHIO BOWL OF PISTACHIOS AND ALMONDS ON FLOOR ELYAN BITING ON PISTACHIO (SOUNDBITE) (Dari) U.S. SPECIAL IMMIGRATION VISA RECIPIENT, ABDUL AMAN SEDIQI, SAYING (ASKED WHAT HAPPENED ON THE DAY TALIBAN ENTERED KABUL): "Overall our journey was fine, we were lucky that we were able to get to the airport quickly. We had a visa, which they were accepting faster with a green card. When we got to the airport, we were only there for 12 hours, at midnight we flew to Qatar, we were there for one day and one night. It was very hot, it was crowded. There was about four thousand people in two halls together in the same environment. It was a good journey. Despite there being difficulties, we got here quickly. There were others who had been there for ten days, five days, some a week. They had faced a lot of difficulties." VARIOUS OF ELYAN LOOKING AT CELLPHONE SEDIQI SWINGING ELYAN IN CIRCLE BY HIS ARMS SEDIQI SWINGING EDRIS IN CIRCLE BY HIS ARMS (SOUNDBITE) (Dari) U.S. SPECIAL IMMIGRATION VISA RECIPIENT, ABDUL AMAN SEDIQI, SAYING (ASKED WHAT HAPPENED ON THE DAY TALIBAN ENTERED KABUL): "People will likely understand how difficult it is for someone to suddenly leave behind a life that you have worked hard to build over 25 or 30 years, to start a new life. Granted your new life will be a good life, will mean you have a good future, but it is very troubling and saddening to leave behind a life that you built for yourself over 20 years." SEDIQI ON CELLPHONE WITH EDRIS SITTING NEXT TO HIM (SOUNDBITE) (Dari) U.S. SPECIAL IMMIGRATION VISA RECIPIENT, ABDUL AMAN SEDIQI, SAYING (ASKED WHAT HAPPENED ON THE DAY TALIBAN ENTERED KABUL): "Of course we have family left behind, some went other places, a lot of our family are left behind in Afghanistan and their fate is unclear. People are under threat. And my colleagues are still there, who worked directly with the Special Forces, carried out night work. Those Afghans who worked for many years, ten to twelve years with foreigners. Those people remain in Afghanistan." WHITE FLASH (SOUNDBITE) (Dari) U.S. SPECIAL IMMIGRATION VISA RECIPIENT, ABDUL AMAN SEDIQI, SAYING (ASKED WHAT HAPPENED ON THE DAY TALIBAN ENTERED KABUL): "We feel happy being in America, we feel we have full safety here. We have a secure future ahead of us, a happy one. We know that the goals we set for ourselves in Texas, in America we can reach them." EDRIS ARRANGING CHILDREN'S PUZZLES
- Embargoed: 10th September 2021 21:54
- Keywords: Afghanistan Biden administration ISIS Kabul Taliban evacuees interpreter
- Location: HOUSTON, TEXAS, UNITED STATES
- City: HOUSTON, TEXAS, UNITED STATES
- Country: USA
- Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace,United States,Military Conflicts
- Reuters ID: LVA001ES24NYF
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: There is almost no furniture yet in Afghan evacuee Abdul Aman Sediqi and his young family's new apartment in Houston, Texas.
But as his two sons, Edris and Elyan play on the bare floor, Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) recipient Sediqi said on Thursday (August 26) he's grateful at the chance to make a fresh start after the Taliban takeover of his native Afghanistan.
Sediqi said he did perilous work in mine clearance with American Special Forces.
"I cleared mines, we would go on main roads, small villages, paths, streets. If there were night operations, we would go to that too," he said.
"We would de-mine houses. We also carried weapons and if there was ever an attack we would fight too," he added.
Thousands of Afghans have arrived in the United States since the hurried evacuation of Afghanistan began in mid-August, including many who helped U.S. forces during its 20-year involvement in the country's war.
SIV's are available to Afghan's like Sediqi who aided U.S. forces and who fear reprisals by the Taliban, the Islamist militant group that swiftly seized power 12 days ago.
Sediqi, 36, his wife Mah Rokh and their two young boys had stamped, valid visas and were ready to travel to the U.S. when the Taliban unexpectedly took over the Afghan capital.
"We went to the airport and it was shut, they weren't allowing anybody to enter. We turned back," he said.
They finally did get a ticket on a few days later, and were flown out first to Qatar, then on to Dulles airport in Virginia, and finally made it to Houston on August 23rd.
The family chose Houston because Sediqi has a friend from his home province there, and who told him there are plenty of jobs available.
But as relieved as they are to have made it to the U.S. safely, and hopeful of a "good future", leaving Afghanistan is hard, Sediqi said.
"It's very troubling and saddening to leave behind a life that you built for yourself over 20 years," he said.
It's especially hard, he said, because much of his family and many of his colleagues who worked with U.S. Special Forces are still in Afghanistan and possibly in danger from the Taliban.
An estimated 5,000 SIV applicants have already been evacuated from Afghanistan, according to a report released on Wednesday (August 25) by the Association of Wartime Allies, a group advocating for SIV applicants in Afghanistan and Iraq.
The group estimates that 65,000 SIV applicants and family members remain in Afghanistan.
But as they settle into a new apartment in a new country, Sediqi said he and his family are optimistic.
"We feel happy being in America, we feel we have full safety here. We have a secure future ahead of us, a happy one," he said.
(Production: Callaghan O'Hare; Pari Zemaryalai; Kevin Fogarty; Ashraf Fahim) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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