The Taliban were advancing on the capital, but the prospect of a peace deal frightened many of the guests, as much as the continuation of the war, which had mostly afflicted the countryside.
Now they were faced with the prospect of becoming refugees.
Yet opportunities for Afghans were rare they had the worst passports in the world when it came to travel without a visa. Some were waiting for a chance to leave legally, with dignity, for work or school. Some had studied abroad and returned others had no intention of leaving, like Zaki Daryabi, publisher of the scrappy independent paper Etilaat-e Roz, which had become known for exposing corruption within the administration of President Ashraf Ghani. The following year, when Europe’s borders collapsed and a million people crossed the Mediterranean in boats, Afghans were the second-largest group among them, after Syrians.īut the people at this party weren’t likely to cross the mountains or sea with smugglers. troop surge, which was followed by an economic recession and the steady loss of territory to the Taliban. Surely, I said, Afghanistan’s power brokers, fractious and corrupt as they were, would unite and rally their forces for their own survival.Īs civilians, the guests at the party faced a stark question that summer, which they repeated to me: Berim ya bashim? Should we stay or should we go? Afghans had endured the agony of displacement and exile for 40 years the latest wave began in 2014 at the end of the U.S. The government had a considerable advantage in men, weapons and equipment, and it still held the cities.
Like many people in Washington and Kabul, I thought six months was overly pessimistic.
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