WASHINGTON, D.C. – IW Features, a project of Independent Women’s Forum, is a new platform dedicated to providing unique and personal insights into the biggest issues facing Americans today through grassroots storytelling and original journalism. Today, IW Features is releasing a short documentary telling the story of an Afghan family who fled the country after the Taliban reclaimed power in August 2021.
Azizullah Aziz, his wife Khatera, and their 19-year-old daughter Mashhouda sat down with IW Features to bring awareness to the grave reality that Afghan women and girls face as a result of the Biden-Harris administration’s disastrous withdrawal.
Azizullah secretly served as a combat interpreter and facilitator with the U.S. military. He first served the U.S. Army 3rd Special Forces Group, the U.S. State Department Anti-Terrorism Assistance Program, and was then hand-selected to serve at the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC).
Abandoned –– How Life Went Dark for Afghan Women
“Women are oppressed. All their rights are taken away from them,” Azizullah told IW Features. “They are used like the slaves back in the old days that people were using.”
Just five days after Afghanistan fell back into the hands of the Taliban, Azizullah, Khatera, and his six children successfully escaped from their home in Kabul, Afghanistan. The family was rescued and resituated in a United Arab Emirates humanitarian center for eight months before finally making it to the U.S.
Andrea Mew, IW Features Manager at Independent Women’s Forum, said: “After the fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban in 2021, the lives of Afghan women and girls have been doused by darkness, and selective outrage only deepens their suffering. By documenting the Aziz family’s flight from a crumbling nation and the reality of what they left behind, we’re giving American leadership a call to conscience: stand up and do something before it’s too late. Moreover, never let a tragedy like this happen again. Afghan women and girls now endure unthinkable misery every day –– and it’s a direct consequence of America’s actions –– or lack thereof. We owe it to them to bring these stories out of the shadows and ensure they’re not abandoned by today’s crowded attention economy.”
Meaghan Mobbs, director of the Center for American Safety and Security at Independent Women’s Forum and Afghanistan veteran, said: “‘Abandoned –– How Life Went Dark for Afghan Women’ is a gripping documentary short that lays bare the human cost of America’s chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan. Through the harrowing journey of the Aziz family—whose father, a U.S. military interpreter, was nearly left behind—we witness the devastating impact of this geopolitical collapse. The film finally gives voice to Afghan women and girls, many of whom are now trapped in a society where their futures have been stolen. This documentary is a critical reminder that when U.S. foreign policy falters, it is often women and girls who bear the deepest scars. Their stories must be told, and the world cannot look away.”
The documentary can be found here, along with a written version of their story.