Once hailed as heroes, Afghans fear deportation under Trump

"The moment he stepped through the gates, he sensed something was wrong. Kabul, in his mind, was untouchable. I didn't think it would reach Kabul, he said in an interview by phone from his apartment in Boise, Idaho, recently. It referred to the resurgence of the Taliban. The Guardian is using a pseudonym for Ali's safety and that of his family. He said: The US had its embassy there. There were so many Americans. But the scene at the base that morning looked nothing like the one he knew. Pilots sprinted between hangars, stuffing bags and shouting orders. Routines that once gave structure to their days had collapsed."

"For weeks, he had felt the political ground shifting. Our American mentors had told us to stop bombing the Taliban, he said. That was unusual. Apparently, airstrikes had ceased, so Ali was focusing on intelligence work. On 15 August 2021, the truth finally landed. Kabul was falling. It was no longer a question of whether control of the capital of Afghanistan would change hands but how quickly."

"They told me I had two choices, he recalled of his superiors. Get on a US air force C-17 evacuating civilians, or fly my plane out of the country. Ali didn't hesitate. He had been flying alongside American forces since he was 19, convinced Afghanistan could still become a place where his younger sister could grow up free. I was fighting for democracy, and for my little sister's future, he recalled. He thought briefly about calling his family, urging his mother and sisters to run to the airport. Then he registered the crowds flooding the runway, people climbing walls, screaming, begging and trying to cling to departing planes, scenes of chaos and desperation seen on television aroun"

Ali was 25 and an Afghan air force pilot stationed at the special mission wing 777 airbase in Kabul. He sensed danger upon arriving at 11am one August day as routines collapsed and pilots sprinted between hangars. American partners had begun restricting airstrikes, and intelligence work replaced bombing missions. On 15 August 2021 Kabul fell rapidly. Superiors offered evacuation options: board a US Air Force C-17 or fly his plane out. He chose evacuation, having flown alongside Americans since age 19 and hoping to protect his younger sister's future. Crowds flooded the runway as desperate civilians clung to departing planes.

Read at www.theguardian.com