Anniversary of Afghanistan takeover difficult for refugee, ex-MLA in Sask.

It has been a year since Afghanistan's capital of Kabul fell to the Taliban. The anniversary has two Saskatoon women reflecting on the chaos and crisis that followed.

On Aug. 15, 2021, the violent extremist group seized power over the capital city after American troops and their allies pulled out of Afghanistan and the Afghan president, Ashraf Ghani, fled the capital and the country. It was the culmination of a 20-year occupation by the United States that followed the terrorist attacks on Sep. 11, 2001. 

People all over the world were shocked by the footage of chaos at the Kabul airport. Thousands of people flooded into the building and beyond, with some so desperate to find flights out of the country that they clung to U.S. Air Force planes as they tried to depart. 

Afghanistan citizen Maryam Masoomi has since begun a new life in Saskatoon, but says that day was the start of a very difficult path for her and her loved ones.

"It is so hard to tell that story again," admitted Masoomi, speaking with CBC's Saskatoon Morning.

She said the day began like any other day, with her heading to work at a television studio. 

"It was [such] shocking news for everyone, everyone was so disappointed [at] that time. We just get our bags and then started our running to home."

Masoomi was at particular risk due to her fame as a band leader for the group Sound of Afghanistan. Their songs were popular on YouTube and featured young girls singing about the importance of education and female empowerment, rights that the Taliban seeks to deny women. She and other members of the group hid in their homes for many days, eventually receiving word that an aid organization had secured Canadian visas for them.

About two weeks after Kabul fell, Masoomi left the city in the middle of the night with her family and other group members, taking extra precautions to ensure they were not recognized, such as wearing long hijabs and masks. It was the start of two months on the run, crossing countless Taliban checkpoints as they moved through several cities.

They eventually managed to cross the Pakistan border, where they would be able to fly to Canada.

LISTEN | Saskatoon woman tells her story of fleeing Afghanistan

"When we crossed the border, we just feel that we [were] born again," she said. "We were so happy. But on the other side we were so sad, that it was the day we are leaving our country."

Masoomi received support from the Saskatoon Open Door Society when she arrived and has settled into the community. She said she has seen her own experience reflected in that of Ukrainian evacuees that have arrived in Saskatchewan, and has even been able to donate items for other families in need.

A country in crisis

The past year has seen Afghanistan erode into humanitarian and economic crises under Taliban leadership. Reports have shown that the economy was already lagging due to drought and the COVID-19 pandemic when America began its withdrawal. Many countries then stopped providing aid to the country; Canadian law, for example, prevents aid agencies from dealing with recognized terrorist groups. 

Reflecting its previous tenure in power, the Taliban has restricted many aspects of its citizens' daily life. Women have been forced out of public jobs and their movement restricted, girls are not allowed to be educated past the sixth grade, music is banned and journalistic freedoms have been restricted. 

Many who wish to leave have yet to find a way, even with others outside of Afghanistan trying to help.

Pat Atkinson, a Saskatoon resident and former MLA, worked in the country from 2013 to 2015 for an organization working to increase women's participation in politics. When the Taliban took over last year she was still in contact with several of her former colleagues. She helped them file paperwork to get approval to flee to Canada, then made contact with Pakistan's High Commission through a contact in that country.

"I got the email address, I sent them my colleagues' passports and the acceptance from Canada, and they got them visas into Pakistan," she explained.

While many of those former colleagues managed to escape to Canada, she says there are still 120 people she knows who have applied and have never heard back.

"They have daughters, they're not in school, it's boring because they're hiding out and they have nothing to do. It's been a challenge."

Atkinson said she continues to communicate and work with those former colleagues to secure their escape to Canada.