PASSPORT TO A NEW LIFE OUTSIDE AFGHANISTAN
KABUL: The reopening of the passport office in Kabul on Wednesday gave some Afghans who feel threatened under Taliban rule fresh hope they may soon be able to escape the country.
Hundreds of people flocked to the department to apply for travel documents in a test of the new
Afghan government’s commitment to the international community to allow eligible people to leave.
“I’m trying to run away,” said Mohammad Hanif, who said he was an interpreter for the US special forces in the south of the country from 2009 to 2013. Like many Afghans who worked for US and allied forces following the 2001 invasion, Mr Hanif fears the Taliban will take revenge if they find him, so is desperate to flee.
The 32-year-old was among those who went to the passport office in Kabul as it opened for the first time since the Taliban seized power in midAugust. Mr Hanif said he first applied for his passport four months ago, but only managed to complete the application on Wednesday and will collect the document in a couple of days. He plans to move to the US with his wife and two children.