An Afghan-Irish woman has told of her desperate attempts to get out of Kabul once the Taliban took over.
Sosan Enayatullha was visiting her family for the first time in four years. She has been living in Ireland for 11 years where her two children were born, she told RTÉ radio's Ryan Tubridy show.
During the trip, which was to attend her brother’s wedding, the Taliban overran the city. At the time she was out shopping and ran for an hour trying to find a place to hide. Her mother eventually came to find her.
“I was so scared, I was hiding behind my mother.”
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After two nights she received a call to tell her to go to the airport, all her family accompanied her. At the airport they found “thousands” also waiting to get into the airport.
“I was crying. My mother told me this is your chance to get out. I saw people screaming, climbing on to the plane.”
Members of the Taliban confronted her and asked where was she going. One told her sister to cover her face and to go home.
Ms Enayatullha had to go to three gates at the airport before she could get in as the Taliban had locked two of the gates. At the third gate she heard gunshots and people were trying to climb the walls and gates into the airport.
“People were pushing me, I was sitting there and people were climbing over me.”
Eventually on showing her Irish passport one of the Afghan soldiers let her into the airport. “I was crying, I told him I had to go home to my children (in Ireland).”
Once inside the airport it was much calmer. She eventually made her way back to Dublin via Germany.
Every day her family calls asking for her help to get them out of Kabul. “I’m still worried about my people, especially my family. My heart is bleeding for my family.”
Ms Enayatullha said there was fear on the streets of Kabul. The situation there was terrible “especially for women”. People should not be stopped from leaving, she said. Everybody was scared of the Taliban. The situation was “terrifying.”
“We don’t know what is going to happen next. I feel very lucky to be back in Ireland.”
It had been an amazing experience to get into the airport because of her Irish passport, she added. There had been thousands of other people there trying to get into the airport without success.