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Story Publication logo August 24, 2021

Afghanistan Through the Lens of Paula Bronstein

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America may be ending its ‘endless’ war, but the way it is leaving Afghanistan will certainly mean...

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A young girl sticks her head out of a car window
Displaced Afghans head into Kabul from the northern provinces, desperately leaving their homes behind on August 10, 2021, in Kabul, Afghanistan. People displaced by the Taliban advancing are flooding into the Kabul capital to escape the Taliban takeover of their provinces. Image by Paula Bronstein. Afghanistan, 2021.

Afghan Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) applicants crowd into the Herat Kabul internet cafe to apply for the SIV program on August 8, 2021, in Kabul, Afghanistan. Many Afghans are in desperate need of assistance completing the forms and obtaining required human resources letters, a particular challenge for those whose U.S. government work ended years ago. The Biden administration expanded refugee eligibility for Afghans as the Taliban escalated violence in the war-torn country. Thousands of Afghans who worked for the United States government during its nearly 20-year war here now fear for their safety as the U.S. withdraws its troops from the country. Many of these Afghans, who worked as interpreters and translators for U.S. intelligence agencies and military branches, have applied to come to the U.S. as part of the SIV program, with the first such group arriving in the U.S. last month. But, for most SIV candidates, the timeline for relocation remains unknown. Image by Paula Bronstein. Afghanistan, 2021.
A woman holds photo of her children
Zoohra, 60, holds the photo of her daughter, who she said was killed by the Taliban one month ago, at a makeshift Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp in Share-e-Naw park on August 12, 2021, in Kabul, Afghanistan. Image by Paula Bronstein. Afghanistan, 2021.

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A line of men wait in line with visa documents
Afghans wait in long lines for hours at the passport office as many are desperate to have their travel documents ready to go on August 14, 2021, in Kabul, Afghanistan. Tensions are high as the Taliban advance on the capital city after taking the major cities of Herat, Mazar-e Sharif, and the country's second-largest city, Kandahar. Image by Paula Bronstein. Afghanistan, 2021.
young girl looks outside a bus window
Displaced Afghans from the northern provinces are evacuated from a makeshift IDP camp in Share-e-Naw park to various mosques and schools on August 12, 2021, in Kabul, Afghanistan. People displaced by the Taliban advancing are flooding into Kabul, the capital, to escape the Taliban takeover of their provinces. Image by Paula Bronstein. Afghanistan, 2021.
women in a school sit in class together
Afghan female students listen during 10th grade class at the Zarghoona high school on July 25, 2021, in Kabul, Afghanistan. The Zarghoona girls school is the largest in Kabul, with 8,500 female students. The school opened after almost a two-month break due to coronavirus. Currently, there is widespread fear that the Taliban, who already control around half the country, will reintroduce its notorious system barring girls and women from almost all work, and access to education. The Ministry of Education has announced the opening of schools, but there are mixed reports in many areas where the Taliban have taken control or where fighting is ongoing. Image by Paula Bronstein. Afghanistan, 2021.
Portrait of a woman in Afghanistan standing outside cafe
Dawlatt Naimati, 22, from Kunduz, stands outside the Herat Kabul internet cafe, where she is seeking help applying for the Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) on August 8, 2021, in Kabul, Afghanistan. Many Afghans are in desperate need of assistance completing the forms and obtaining the required human resources letters, a particular challenge for those whose U.S. government work ended years ago. Image by Paula Bronstein. Afghanistan, 2021.

Displaced Afghans reach out for aid from a local Muslim organization at a makeshift IDP camp on August 10, 2021, in Kabul, Afghanistan. Image by Paula Bronstein. Afghanistan, 2021.

Displaced Afghans arrive at a makeshift camp from the northern provinces, desperately leaving their homes behind on August 10, 2021, in Kabul, Afghanistan. The Taliban has taken control of six provincial capitals, among other towns and trade routes, since the United States accelerated withdrawal of its forces this year. Afghan families from Kunduz, Takhar, and Baghlan provinces have arrived in Kabul in greater numbers. Image by Paula Bronstein. Afghanistan, 2021.
Kid sticks his head out of car
Displaced Afghans from the northern provinces are evacuated from a makeshift IDP camp in Share-e-Naw park to various mosques and schools on August 12, 2021, in Kabul, Afghanistan. Image by Paula Bronstein. Afghanistan.
Displaced Afghans trying to move into Kabul from Northern Afghanistan
Displaced Afghans from the northern provinces are evacuated from a makeshift IDP camp in Share-e-Naw park to various mosques and schools on August 12, 2021, in Kabul, Afghanistan. Image by Paula Bronstein. Afghanistan.
A man holds special visa application materials in office
A man shows a certificate of appreciation from an American defense contractor while seeking help with his Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) application at Herat Kabul internet cafe on August 8, 2021, in Kabul, Afghanistan. Image by Paula Bronstein. Afghanistan.

A woman yells for her family to hurry up as displaced Afghans from the northern provinces are evacuated from a makeshift IDP camp in Share-e-Naw park on August 12, 2021, in Kabul. Image by Paula Bronstein. Afghanistan, 2021.
Woman sits in a tent with her children
Farzia, 28, who lost her husband to fighting by the Taliban a week ago in Baghlan, sits with her children, Subhan, 5, and Ismael, 2, in a tent at a makeshift IDP camp in Share-e-Naw park on August 12, 2021, in Kabul. Image by Paula Bronstein. Afghanistan.
Kabul police stands in street.
Kabul police secure the road in the central part of the city on August 13, 2021. Tensions are high as the Taliban advance on the capital city after taking Herat and the country's second-largest city, Kandahar. Image by Paula Bronstein. Afghanistan.
Young boy looks out a window of a car holding a small watergun
Displaced Afghans from the northern provinces are evacuated from a makeshift IDP camp in Share-e-Naw park to various mosques and schools on August 12, 2021, in Kabul. People displaced by the Taliban advancing are flooding into Kabul, the capital, to escape the Taliban takeover of their provinces. Image by Paula Bronstein. Afghanistan.
A woman and her child pray at a mosque in Kabul
Displaced Afghan women and children from Kunduz pray at a mosque that is sheltering them on August 13, 2021, in Kabul, Afghanistan. Tensions are high as the Taliban advance on the capital city. Image by Paula Bronstein. Afghanistan.
Girl stands amongst other displaced Afghans
Displaced Afghans are seen at a makeshift IDP camp in Share-e-Naw park on August 12, 2021, in Kabul. Image by Paula Bronstein. Afghanistan.
A man stands with his arms around his children
Yousef Mohammed, 35, stands with his two sons at his home, using a gas lamp during one of the many power outages, on July 30, 2021, in Kabul. He worked as a combat translator for the US army 2008-2013 in Laghman province, and says that when he requested a non-combat mission, fearing for his life, he was terminated. Thousands of Afghans who worked for the United States government during its nearly 20-year war here now fear for their safety as the US withdraws its troops from the country. Image by Paula Bronstein. Afghanistan.

Special Immigrant Visa applicant Ajmal Sahak and his wife, Halida, eat lunch with their children, Malwand, 9; Sabhanullah, 4; and Hella, 12, on the third day of the Eid Al-Adha holiday on July 22, 2021, in Kabul. Ajmal Sahak, who applied to the Afghan SIV program, is afraid that drivers won't get the same priority as translators. He was a driver for 10 years with a variety of American services. Thousands of Afghans who worked for the United States government during its nearly 20-year war here now fear for their safety as the US withdraws its troops from the country. Image by Paula Bronstein. Afghanistan.

Special Immigrant Visa applicant Same Sharifi, 32, is shown with his wife, Shamila, and his children, Osman, 8 months; Zahra, 9; and Zainab, 6, at their home on the second day of the Eid Al-Adha holiday on July 21, 2021, in Kabul. Same started working with the US Embassy as a translator in 2017, finishing his job on May 1, 2021. Now, he awaits his SIV application approval. Image by Paula Bronstein. Afghanistan, 2021.

Photos and documents that attest to Abdul Rashid Shirzad's time working as a translator with the US military are shown on a table on July 21, 2021, in Kabul. Shirzad worked for more than two years with the Navy SEALs. Shirzad's application for a Special Immigrant Visa to the U.S. was denied without any explanation in 2016, two years after his stint with US special operations forces ended. Image by Paula Bronstein. Afghanistan, 2021.
Woman stands on building
Special Immigrant Visa applicant Nazifa Sultani, 43, is shown near her home on July 31, 2021, in Kabul. She was a maid who worked from 2014 to 2021 for various security companies, including US and UK government contractors, cleaning their villas. She is still struggling to get the necessary paperwork needed to complete her SIV application. Image by Paula Bronstein. Afghanistan, 2021.

Displaced Afghan families head into Kabul from the northern provinces, desperately leaving their homes behind on August 10, 2021, in Kabul. The Taliban have taken control of six provincial capitals, among other towns and trade routes, since the United States accelerated withdrawal of its forces this year. Image by Paula Bronstein. Afghanistan.
Afghans stand in a refugee gathering spot
Displaced Afghans arrive at a makeshift camp from the northern provinces on August 10, 2021, in Kabul. Image by Paula Bronstein. Afghanistan, 2021.
Girls sit together on a bus
Afghan female students ride in a school bus after classes at the Zarghoona high school on July 25, 2021, in Kabul. The Zarghoona girls high school is the largest in Kabul, with 8,500 students. The school opened after a nearly two-month break, due to the coronavirus pandemic. Currently, there is widespread fear that the Taliban, who already control around half the country, will reintroduce their notorious system barring girls and women from almost all work and access to education. The Ministry of Education has announced the opening of schools, but there are mixed reports in many areas where the Taliban have taken control or where fighting is ongoing. Image by Paula Bronstein. Afghanistan, 2021.

Halida Sahak, the wife of Special Immigrant Visa applicant Ajmal Sahak, serves rice at lunch as her son Sabhanullah, 4, watches on the third day of the Eid Al-Adha holiday on July 22, 2021, in Kabul. Image by Paula Bronstein. Afghanistan.

Sanam, 5, stands next to her father as other children enjoy the Kabul Zoo on the first day of the Eid Al-Adha holiday on July 20, 2021, in Kabul. During Eid prayer, three rockets landed near the Presidential Palace, where President Ashraf Ghani and other politicians attended a special prayer. The festival is celebrated throughout the Muslim world, translating as the festival of sacrifice. It lasts for three days. Image by Paula Bronstein. Afghanistan, 2021.
Afghans dance in an amusement park in Kabul
Afghans dance at Kabul City Amusement Park on the first day of the Eid Al-Adha holiday on July 20, 2021, in Kabul. Image by Paula Bronstein. Afghanistan.

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