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Afghan American In Colorado 'Really Concerned About My People' Amid Taliban Takeover

DENVER (CBS4) - Afghan Americans in Colorado shared their concerns for friends and family back home, as thousands fled to safety over the weekend following the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan's capital.

For two weeks now, Aurangzaib Sharifi has scoured news sites and social media to keep up with the developing situation in his home country of Afghanistan. He tells CBS4 he's not surprised to see the Taliban seize his hometown of Kabul, but it worries him.

"I'm really concerned about my people. I'm really concerned about my country," Sharifi said.

Sharifi is a former Afghan journalist who spent years as an interpreter for U.S. and NATO forces before moving to America in 2014. He sees the recent Taliban takeover as the beginning of a dark chapter for the country.

"They won't be able to express their ideas and the women are not going to be able to do the education," Sharifi said. "Whatever we've achieved in the last 20 years, that's all come back to zero and we will be starting it from zero."

On Saturday, Sharifi and a small group of other Colorado-based Afghan Americans held a rally on the steps of the Colorado State Capitol to raise awareness of the situation. The crowd spoke about sanctions for Pakistan and called for the U.S. to help interpreters and contractors get out of the country safely.

"They are in a higher risk, and they are targeted," Sharifi said. "Actively, Talibans are knocking the doors and taking out the interpreters and they're hunting them down."

Tamim Aslamy left Afghanistan in 1982, but still feels connected to his home country all these years later. He now calls Erie home.

"What has transpired in the last few days has touched all of us, and the emotions are just really high right now," Aslamy said.

As he's watched the government fall, Alsamy said his 15-year-old daughter has been on his mind. One of his biggest concerns is how the Taliban takeover will affect the rights of women in the country.

"To kind of wipe that out and have women be second class citizens at best overnight, it's just disheartening," Aslamy said.

"I keep telling her how blessed we are to be in the United States practicing Islam and the way that it should be, the manner that it should be, not religion being imposed on you."

Aslamy said he will now lean on that faith as he prays for a better tomorrow. Sharifi, on the other hand, anticipates a grim outcome.

"I don't have any hope for our country, and I blame the international community and the United States," he said.

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