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Afghan Women Who Aided U.S. Military Wait for Asylum in America Afghan Women Who Aided U.S. Military Wait for Asylum in America
(about 11 hours later)
It was almost 3 a.m. in New York, but Nazdana Hassani refused to fall asleep.It was almost 3 a.m. in New York, but Nazdana Hassani refused to fall asleep.
She stared at her phone, closing and refreshing WhatsApp, hoping that her mother’s internet had been restored at her home in Afghanistan.She stared at her phone, closing and refreshing WhatsApp, hoping that her mother’s internet had been restored at her home in Afghanistan.
She tried three more times, but the call would not go through.She tried three more times, but the call would not go through.
The last time Ms. Hassani saw her mother in person was August 2021, days before the Taliban seized control of Kabul.The last time Ms. Hassani saw her mother in person was August 2021, days before the Taliban seized control of Kabul.
Ms. Hassani, 24, served in the Afghan National Army’s Female Tactical Platoon, a squad of all women that accompanied U.S. Special Operations troops on missions seeking out high-level Taliban, Al Qaeda and ISIS targets. As the Taliban took over two summers ago, Ms. Hassani faced a decision: live under a repressive government as a woman who worked alongside the U.S. Army, or flee her home country for the United States.Ms. Hassani, 24, served in the Afghan National Army’s Female Tactical Platoon, a squad of all women that accompanied U.S. Special Operations troops on missions seeking out high-level Taliban, Al Qaeda and ISIS targets. As the Taliban took over two summers ago, Ms. Hassani faced a decision: live under a repressive government as a woman who worked alongside the U.S. Army, or flee her home country for the United States.
“If I stayed, the Taliban would have killed me and my family,” she said.“If I stayed, the Taliban would have killed me and my family,” she said.
Of the 45 Afghan women who served in Ms. Hassani’s platoon, 39 escaped amid the chaotic withdrawal of U.S. troops nearly two years ago.Of the 45 Afghan women who served in Ms. Hassani’s platoon, 39 escaped amid the chaotic withdrawal of U.S. troops nearly two years ago.
Now Ms. Hassani and most of her platoon are among the tens of thousands of Afghans living in the United States as humanitarian parolees, a temporary legal status. This month, the Biden administration announced a plan to allow Afghans to apply for a parole extension so they can continue living and working in the United States after their status expires in August. It is unclear if the extensions, if granted, would be for two years, as they were the first time.