One woman tells NBC 7’s Priya Sridhar that, despite the Taliban’s promises to be more moderate in their treatment of women and girls, she’s worried about their future.
The United States has continued to try to evacuate American citizens in Afghanistan now that the Taliban has taken control of the country. Arozo Shahabzada said watching the images on television over the last week has been horrifying for her.
"Even now, I get emotional about it because I feel so much guilt being here in the United States, being free and knowing how lucky I am because of the sacrifices my parents made when they were in Afghanistan and what I have now today, but knowing that so many others are not as fortunate," she said.
Shahabzada still has family in Kabul that she was finally able to get in touch with Tuesday morning. She said her family is looking to try to get refugee status somewhere in Europe.
"We heard from them this morning, so they're safe for now. They're hiding and we're just hoping that the Taliban stay away," she said.
Get top local stories in San Diego delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC San Diego's News Headlines newsletter.
Shahabzada said despite the Taliban making promises to be more moderate in their treatment of women and girls, she's worried about their future.
"It's so disheartening to see the past 20 years of progress be erased completely and we're not going to go down without a fight," she said. "I've seen women stand up to the Taliban, I've seen just how strong, how brave, how smart these beautiful women are."