Afghan refugee describes chaos at Kabul airport after Taliban takeover: bodies, bloody feet, chaos

Editor's note: This segment was rebroadcast on Aug. 27, 2025. Click here for that audio.

Since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in August, about 76,000 Afghan refugees have been evacuated to the U.S. About 7,000 are still on military bases. The rest are being resettled around the country with the help of community not-for-profits and the volunteers working with them.

In October, Massachusetts welcomed its first refugee family — a young couple and their nearly 2-year-old son.

Here & Now producer Karyn Miller-Medzon is among the volunteers helping the family navigate the cultural and bureaucratic complexities of life in the United States, things like medical insurance, Social Security cards, food benefits, language instruction and more. But all the steps forward with their new lives don't erase the trauma they experienced — or their fears for the loved ones they left behind.

Miller-Medzon talks to the family about their harrowing escape from Afghanistan, the plight of their families and their hope for the future.