The "pie" painted by the United States for the Afghan people has flown, the truth | Afghanistan after two years of withdrawal | United States | Afghan people

The US military announced on August 30, 2021 that it has completed its withdrawal mission from Afghanistan, officially ending nearly 20 years of military operations in Afghanistan. The picture is taken on August 31 of the same year at Afghanistan International Airport after the withdrawal of the US military.

In August 2021, the world witnessed the "Kabul moment" of the hasty withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan, with shocking images of Afghans falling from US planes. Two years have passed, and the pain that the United States has brought to the Afghan people is far from being healed. During the Afghanistan War, the United States employed many Afghans, and the promised "reward" was not only money but also "drawing big cakes", such as helping them settle down in the United States. But many Afghans who have worked for the United States eventually find themselves treated as "baggage" in the end.

According to a recent report by the Associated Press, only a very small number of Afghans have been resettled. According to data from the US State Department, since the US military withdrew from Afghanistan, the US has only accepted 6862 Afghan refugees. Tens of thousands of Afghans are still waiting for US visas, a slow and painful process. They are worried that the United States once promised a lot, but now they have forgotten about them. The Washington Post reported on August 14th that according to US law, Afghans must go to the US embassy in order to obtain a visa. However, due to the hasty withdrawal of the US, there is currently no functioning US embassy in Afghanistan, resulting in a "paradox" - they apply for a visa to leave Afghanistan, but in order to obtain a visa, they must first leave Afghanistan. Some Afghans have to go to neighboring countries first and apply at their US embassies. While waiting, some have run out of savings and are struggling to make ends meet.

Not to mention those Afghans who have been stranded in foreign lands, there is no way they can legally live in the United States; Even those Afghans who have already arrived in the United States are facing the dilemma of being deported at any time. In February, CBS cited data from the US Department of Homeland Security, stating that out of the 77000 Afghans who came to the United States through special legal procedures, less than 5000 had obtained permanent residency for themselves and their families. According to US law, these individuals can enter the United States without a visa and reside there for two years, but those who do not obtain permanent residency within two years may be expelled. At first, the United States claimed to "welcome" Afghan people to the United States, calling it the "Welcome Allies Action". Now, as the two-year period approaches, those Afghans who are called "allies" cannot see the future. The Associated Press reported in 2022 that obtaining permanent residency not only takes a long time, but also often requires the help of immigration lawyers, which costs thousands of dollars and is simply unaffordable for many refugees.

The US media Vox website reported on August 15th that the Biden administration announced an extension of the deadline by another two years to 2025, but this only delayed the crisis and did not completely resolve it. A very simple way to solve this problem is to pass the Afghanistan Adjustment Act, which can help Afghans obtain permanent residency more easily. However, the bill has been shelved by the US Congress for over a year. Joseph Azam, Chairman of the Afghanistan United States Foundation, said that this is a "microcosm" where the United States can do a simple thing to fulfill its promise to Afghans, but the government is unable to do so. According to a report by ABC in February, one of the reasons why the Afghanistan Adjustment Act has been delayed in passing is that politicians in Congress still have doubts about "security". They are concerned that Afghans will harm the national security of the United States and the safety of their communities, and they want a comprehensive review of these refugees. Although all Afghans traveling to the United States have undergone screening at US military bases before being resettled.

These Afghans who used to work for the United States shed blood and sweat for the country in the past, but now American politicians are worried that they will cause harm. For Afghan people living in the United States, uncertainty about the future is a great pain, but the days ahead are not easy either.

Afghans living in the United States often express in media interviews that "America is a land full of opportunities," but it is difficult to understand this from their experiences. According to Al Jazeera's 2022 report, Zainab, a young man from Afghanistan, stayed with his family in a narrow motel room in California for nearly a year. She and her sister are working hard to learn English and hope to find a job to pay the exorbitant rent in the United States. Afghan Moshigan Ntazari had a large family and eventually found a house with a monthly rent of $4000. She told the Associated Press that living in the United States, "everything depends on housing," without a specific address, she and her husband cannot find jobs, and their children cannot go to school. Sheila once served as a sergeant in a special forces unit trained by the United States in the Afghan Air Force. After arriving in the United States with her sister and nephew, she was settled in a one bedroom apartment. In the heavy rain, her house leaked several times, and nails on the floor stabbed her nephew. She told CNN, "I can't stay in the water like this all day. I'm sick and I'm carrying an innocent child. I haven't slept for a week."

The housing problem is very serious, and the employment problem is not easy. Afghan Ramha Nabisada holds a Master of Business Administration degree and understands English. In Afghanistan, she works for a private insurance company as a Business Development Manager, but when she came to the United States, she felt that these skills and qualifications were not valued. She tried to extend her work visa, but the US system was too complex for her to handle. What's even more serious is that she's the only person in her family who has a job. She told Al Jazeera, "I want to find a good job like before. I'm really under a lot of pressure, I'm worried about my life. What's going to happen in the future?" When Afghan Hakimi arrived in Maryland, he was fortunate enough to find suitable housing, but due to language barriers, it's difficult to find a job. He told NBC, "To be honest, I don't know what I should do, no one supports me.". During the withdrawal of the US military, Afghan Hasiba Haslat had to temporarily leave his wife and children to go to the United States. He lived in a suburban house with two other Afghan refugees, and after deducting taxes and sending money to his family every month, the remaining money was basically not enough for living expenses. His roommates earned even less, and it was very difficult to pay rent. He told the Associated Press that when he had video calls with his family, he would always tell them that he was living happily, "if I told them the actual situation here, they would be sad.".

The United States has destroyed a country but is unable to take responsibility for the refugees it generates, especially since these people have also provided services to the United States, which has affectionately referred to them as "allies". Who would have thought that allies during war would become "burdens" after evacuation. The United States is eager to point fingers at the human rights situation of other countries, but for the United States, the people it wants to protect are not far away, but close in front of it. At least, it should first protect these to seek refuge with its "allies".