The Hazara Committee in the UK, a non-profit organization working to create an inclusive platform for all communities of the Hazara minority in Afghanistan, wrote a letter to the Community of Sant'Egidio to thank for the help received in the days of the dramatic evacuation from Kabul. We publish the most significant passages:
On behalf of the Hazara Committee in the UK, I want to express our sincere gratitude to the Sant'Egidio community for helping the most vulnerable group of people, the Hazaras in Afghanistan, to evacuate and find safety in your country. Our special thanks go to Daniela Pompei and Monica Attias for working around the clock to help those in need. We cannot express enough our thanks for saving the lives of 100s of Hazaras who were in grave danger and were being targeted by the Taliban. You have made such a huge difference in the lives of these individuals and families who will in no doubt will go on to become an asset to your community and your country. The Hazara people will not forget your kindness during this crisis where our survival is in question. Che Dio vi benedica!
I also want to bring your attention to our group of people who were at the airport on 26th August 2021 and were on the list to get evacuated but were left behind. We unfortunately lost a couple of people in the suicide attack and have traumatised everyone who were at the airport awaiting evacuation. One of the gentlemen killed at the attack has left behind a wife and five children in Kabul. As you may know, women are not allowed to work in the new Afghanistan and therefore, his family currently has no one as a breadwinner.
In addition, we have received numerous messages, emails and calls from the people who were in our list and were present at Abbey Gate of the airport on the 26th August 2021 awaiting evacuation. Majority of them are women and children who escaped death by a couple of meters and are left traumatised and more scared of their future in Afghanistan. A 9-year-old girl described her experience as “walking over piles of dead bodies felt like I was in a nightmare that was impossible to wake up from”. We also had some survivors who were left unable to speak from the shock and trauma for several days. These are just a few accounts of the traumatising experiences by some of the survivors from our list. They have been calling and reaching out to us to beg and plead to be saved and evacuated from Afghanistan as their lives are in grave danger.
Yours sincerely,
Dr Homira May Rezai
Chairperson
Note:
Hazara Committee in the UK (HCUK) formerly known as the Hazara Council of Great Britain, is a non-profit organisation working to create an inclusive platform for all Hazara communities to connect, cooperate and integrate into the wider society. HCUK is connected and has access to over 90% of the Hazara community leaders across the UK and are working very closely with Hazaras in Afghanistan. As a trusted organisation, we receive regular reports from people on the ground in Afghanistan about the situation and atrocities committed by Taliban and other groups.
