Call to Kabul

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Call to Kabul: Safe in the North

Safe in the North

BBC Radio 4 - Call to Kabul, Safe in the North

Anita Anand tracks an unfolding story of three brothers being hunted by the Taliban.

When Anita took a call from a former military officer she had no idea how the story would develop. His interpreter was trying to escape Afghanistan and he was hunted by the Taliban

In the second programme Anita spends time with Naqeeb and his family in Manchester. They’re safe and grateful, but the future is uncertain and their battle is far from over. Naqeeb knows the Taliban is searching for him: one of his brothers, a surgeon, has already been tortured and killed by men hoping to find and kill him. His other brother, a doctor with the World Health Organisation, has gone into hiding.

Paul, a former officer in the Marines, helps Naqeeb settle into his new life in Manchester, finding school places for the youngest of his six children and talking to eighteen year old Aisha and 19 year old Mohammed, about University applications. They were both embarking on medical degrees in Afghanistan and now have to start again in a country they don't know at all. It is a daunting prospect and it's taking place as they confront fears about friends they've left behind.

Exposure on the BBC’s Any Answers programme in August was critical in saving Naqeeb’s life. The transmission of pleas made by the former officer reached MPs, Government ministers and others able to assist. Eight years earlier the interpreter, Naqeeb, had helped to save eight soldiers from an attack by a suicide bomber. Now those same soldiers want to repay that loyalty and help the family find housing, employment and stability.
 
This isn’t a unique story, it has cross-over with so many other experiences, but by telling it in such detail it highlights the terrifying reality faced by those dealing with the consequences of the allied forces withdrawal. It also brings home how bonds forged in life and death situations many years ago can lead to such powerful actions now.
 
Produced by Sue Mitchell
Presented by Anita Anand

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