2021-08-25 12:36:11

“Massacre of My Dreams”: Afghan Reporter Bilal Sarwary on Fleeing Kabul, Afghanistan’s “Brain Drain”

The United States has helped evacuate over 75,000 people since the end of July from the Kabul airport, but the Taliban is now allowing passage only to people with foreign passports or an invitation from the U.S. or one of its allies.

President Joe Biden says U.S. troops are on pace to leave the country by the August 31 deadline, despite pressure from U.S. allies in the G7 to stay longer to help more people flee the country. We speak with Afghan journalist Bilal Sarwary, who fled Kabul in recent days after reporting on Afghanistan for 20 years.

He says his plane out of the country was an encapsulation of the brain drain from the country, with some of the most prominent artists, journalists and other civic leaders fleeing for their lives. “This is Afghanistan going down the drain in a matter of seconds,” he says.

Democracy Now! produces a daily, global, independent news hour hosted by award-winning journalists Amy Goodman and Juan González. Our reporting includes breaking daily news headlines and in-depth interviews with people on the front lines of the world’s most pressing issues. 

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Afghanistan Amy Goodman Bilal Sarwary Democracy Now! Free Speech TV Joe Biden Kabul Kabul Airport United States War

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