The Separation

No one expected the Taliban to move on Kabul as quickly as they did so many professional women were caught off-guard and had to move at lightning-speed to gather their identification papers, proof of university degrees and jobs, laptops, phones, chargers, bottled water and running shoes.

Zarmina, her two sisters and their mother traveled for two days by bus, non-stop, to get from a distant province to Kabul where they checked into a small hotel room to figure out their next moves. Finally, they decided to make their way to the airport. In the confusion and chaos, they got separated. And then a bomb blast (August 26, 2021) changed their fates forever. Two of the women were inside the airport, two were not. The gates were closed and locked for good. Two were able to board planes to the U.S. and two, who Zarmina presumed were dead, had to return home to life under Taliban rule: no jobs, no careers, no independence, no voice, not even the freedom to go grocery shopping alone.  

After a harrowing journey out of Kabul, Zarmina eventually landed at Camp Atterbury, Indiana. Her extraordinary skills in English were much-appreciated and she was put to use as a translator. In a miraculous sequence of events, she was found by an IU faculty member and brought to Bloomington to continue her education. She is currently working on a PhD and dreams of returning to Afghanistan to educate young women and girls. 

Previously a high-ranking Afghan government official, her husband also made it safely to the U.S. and is working on an advanced degree in International Studies with hopes of working alongside the U.S. government to liberate Afghanistan from Taliban rule. They are both working full-time, studying, and contributing to a local mosque and the wider Afghan community in our area.