Fremont friends waiting for overseas family to get out of Afghanistan
FREMONT, Calif. - Members of the Bay Area Afghan community have family and friends at Kabul's airport, trying desperately to get out.
Two women who are friends in Fremont are waiting for word that their loved ones are on a plane.
One has a brother trying to leave Afghanistan.
The other is waiting to be reunited with her husband.
On Thursday evening, a group of Afghan American women prepared for a dinner gathering.
Their hearts are heavy with thoughts of their relatives in Afghanistan.
They shared a video they say show violence just outside the Kabul airport.
It was taken by Sajia's brother Thursday morning as he tried to get a flight out of Afghanistan.
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"I was shocked, crying and screaming," says Sajia, an Afghan American who did not want to give out her last name.
She says her brother and a friend's husband are among thousands who have been at the Kabul airport for days, hoping to leave.
Her friend, Zorah Aziz, a Bay Area native, is waiting to be reunited with her husband Rahmin.
"My husband is stuck in the middle of all that chaos," Zorah Aziz says. "I'm just waiting for a call for someone to be like sorry Zorah, he's no longer here. You know that feeling. I wouldn't wish it on anyone."
Aziz married Rahmid, an Afghan national, two years ago in Kabul.
She asked us not to show his face because of safety concerns.
They're now expecting their first child.
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She returned to the U.S. in June while he waited for his visa.
She says he now has the documents, but can't make it inside the airport.
Aziz showed KTVU photos sent by her husband, "These are the Taliban. They're blocking entrances.
She says her husband has left her voicemail messages telling her about the dire conditions.
But she says their strength is in the ultrasound of their baby and the belief that they will be reunited.
"If you go backwards, there's violence. If you move forward, there's still violence but moving forward there's a little bit of hope.
The woman says her family and friends are giving them comfort and support.
Aziz says after weeks of waiting, she did receive a phone call from Congressman Eric Swalwell's office on Thursday.
She hopes help is on the way.