Afghan community member Mahir Momand told SBS Pashto that he has lost a significant amount of sleep over the "human tragedy" unfolding in his former homeland.
The Sydney resident and member of Human Rights Watch Australia said his extended family and friends are caught up in the regions overrun by the Taliban, as part of a
On Friday, the cities of Kandahar and Herat were overrun, and the United States and the United Kingdom announced they would send troops to the country to evacuate embassy staff.
Australia evacuated the last of its diplomats, military, and intelligence officers on June 18, and closed its embassy in Kabul indefinitely in May.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison signalled in July that the
Defence Minister Peter Dutton confirmed on Friday that officials are working to securely remove Australians remaining in the country.
"Already we have pulled significant numbers of people out," he told the Nine Network. "We'll continue to do that, particularly those that have provided support to our troops."
The ongoing violence is taking a significant toll on the Afghan diaspora in Australia, Mr Momand said.
“The situation is very tense in Afghanistan and is escalating by the hour. Districts and provinces are falling to the Taliban one after the other," he said.
Women, men, children and the elderly are rushing to flee areas captured by the Taliban to save their lives and are arriving in big cities like Kabul. There is total chaos, [it's] a real scene of exodus.
Mr Momand said Afghan community members in Australia are helping where they can by providing aid, “but it is too little compared to the size of the problem”.
He explained that many community members are calling on the Morrison government “not to turn its back on Afghanistan”.
“War is taking people’s lives, tens of thousands have become internally displaced, city parks, mosques and public schools have become refugee camps. Children scream, adults’ faces are filled with terror and trauma, there is no food and support for the internally displaced.
“The economy is badly impacted and there is fear that soon there would be no supply of food items and other essentials as borders and highways through which food comes to cities are controlled by the Taliban.”
On Thursday, the Afghan government confirmed the fall of Ghazni, about 150 kilometres from Kabul, amid speculation from the US military that the capital city could fall within three months.
Taliban fighters patrol inside the city of Ghazni, southwest of Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday, 12 August, 2021. Source: AP
Mr Momand said the prospect of the Taliban returning to power in the country 20 years after the US-led invasion was “unthinkable”.
“I am afraid that Afghanistan may fall again to the hands of the Taliban, that people will be killed without any trials as we have seen in areas recently captured by the Taliban, that human rights violations by the Taliban will further escalate.
“I am afraid that women's rights will be violated, and they will be stripped of their freedom. Overall, I am worried that Afghanistan will return back to the dark days of the Taliban era and once again become a safe haven for international terrorists that would pose a threat to the rest of our peaceful world, particularly the West.”
Source: SBS News
The Afghan community in Adelaide has organised a protest on Saturday calling for international action to halt the Taliban offensive.
The event organiser Mansoor Hashimi said more than 300 people are expected to take part, including others who worked with the AFD.
"We are standing to become the voice of the innocent civilians that have been sacrificed in a proxy war.
We are standing to request the Australian government to put pressure on the supporters of these groups to stop supporting them.
Mr Hashimi said he holds great fears for his mother, siblings and their families living in Kabul and surrounding provinces.
"As the majority of our family members were working with the government or NGOs, we all are concerned for their safety now," he said.
"We have lost many relatives in different provinces. Just last night with the Taliban’s control of Ghazni, my wife lost one close relative."
Maryam Zahid Popal, the president of the activist group Afghan Women on the Move, said she's lost friends in the conflict.
Taliban fighters stand guard at a checkpoint in Kunduz city, northern Afghanistan, on Monday, 9 August, 2021. Source: AAP
"The current situation of Afghanistan has gone from bad to worse," she said.
"Being from Afghanistan has impacted me directly by the war and loss, leaving me with severe post-traumatic stress disorder."
Ms Popal said Afghan women are "victims of war and patriarchy in Afghanistan".
"They suffered discrimination, intimidation, harassment, and mental and psychological abuse.
Also, lack of education and employment opportunities are highly critical threats for many urban and rural Afghan women.
She's calling on other Australian Afghans and the federal government to "create an avenue to streamline opportunities".
"Looking at the current situation, and the return of the Taliban are still preventable if the West sincerely helps and saves lives.
"We need help and funding to help our frontline advocates and army to defeat the enemy."
SBS Pashto has contacted the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade about how Australians can assist in the conflict and is awaiting a response.
