After nine months in Afghanistan, a 2-year-old Afghan kid has been reunited with his parents in the United States, according to his father.
Hanzala Hadi’s parents were forced to leave their kids behind at Kabul airport in August when US soldiers departed and the Taliban took control of the nation. However, the kid was denied entry to the United States because he lacked an Afghan passport, a condition imposed by Qatar, which monitors all flights for Afghan refugees heading to the United States.
The family appealed for help from the Biden administration and the Qatari government. But in January the Taliban halted all flights out for Afghan refugees bound for the U.S., and the flights resumed only about a month ago.
“He is home now,” said his father, N. Hadi
The kid arrived in New York on Wednesday, where he was met by his parents.
Hanzala’s family has relocated to Philadelphia, including his parents and younger brother. Because of his job with a private security organization that assisted in the training of Afghan national police, his father holds a U.S. special immigrant visa, and his immediate family members are immediately eligible for U.S. visas.
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On the morning of Aug. 16, N. Hadi and his family set out for Kabul’s airport but were quickly engulfed in a crush of people attempting to leave Afghanistan as U.S. soldiers withdrew.
He and his 2-year-old kid, Hanzala, were separated from the rest of the family in the turmoil. His wife and their 1-year-old boy ultimately made it to the gate, where Marines welcomed them.
Hadi and his kid, however, were turned away when they attempted to enter, he added. He strained to cradle his son and protect him after hours in the heat with no water left as Afghans pushed their way to the front and Taliban militants fought back.
Concerned for the boy’s safety, he stepped aside and requested assistance from one of his brothers. He requested that his brother take Hanzala, provide him with a drink, and keep him safe until they could be reunited inside the airport, he explained.
“I was just trying to save Hanzala’s life,” Hadi said.
After he handed over the little boy, Hadi made it inside the airport and found his wife and youngest son. His brother tried to take Hanzala to the entrance several times, he said, but the Marines said the gate was closed. Hadi’s family reluctantly flew out of the country four days later.
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