IN THE MEDIA
A Million Afghan Children Could Starve This Winter. Are US Sanctions to Blame?
“While sanctions are often touted as a humane alternative to military power, those with loved ones still in Afghanistan are increasingly desperate as family members describe life on the ground. “The situation is incredibly dire,” said Halema Wali, cofounder of Afghans for a Better Tomorrow, a progressive Afghan diaspora group. “Family members are rationing food. People are bartering, because there’s no cash.”
Kabul drone attack: US advocates decry ‘impunity, secrecy’
“Arash Azizzada, co-founder of Afghans for a Better Tomorrow, an Afghan-American advocacy group, has urged an end to all US drone strikes in Afghanistan. “We have seen that this failed policy harms lives, destroys villages and just allows for more violence to exist in the country,” Azizzada told Al Jazeera in a phone interview in October.”
Grifter's Paradise: Capitalism's Destruction of Afghanistan
“America's longest war has one clear winner: Corporations. Has the war in Afghanistan become the biggest scam of our lifetime?” AFBT’s Halema Wali weighs in.
NOWTHIS NEWS — 10/19/21
How America's 'White-Savior Complex' Hurts Afghan Women
“No, Afghan women don’t need to be ‘saved’ — and these advocates are breaking down exactly why that narrative is so damaging.”
FULL FRONTAL WITH SAMANTHA BEE — 10/16/21
What American Citizens Can Do To Help Afghanistan
“You know what they say: If you want the job of saving millions of innocent lives done right, you’ve got to do it yourself. Sam sat down with Nura A. Sediqe and Arash Azizzada to understand where the U.S. government has failed and how local organizing efforts have stepped in to save Afghan lives.”
The internet aided a digital Dunkirk. But under Taliban rule, Afghan activists go dark.
The LA Times profiled AFBT and members of our community, highlighting the importance of the digital tools in our advocacy and movement building efforts.
US has moral obligation to aid Afghanistan, Afghan Americans say
“Activists urge Biden administration to welcome refugees, end drone attacks and provide humanitarian aid to Afghanistan.” Lida Azim and Halema Wali weigh in.
Los Angeles Activist Helps Afghans Find Refuge
“NPR's Scott Simon speaks with Arash Azizzada, a Los Angeles-based local organizer in the Afghan-American community that is helping Afghans escape after the country came under Taliban control.”
Afghan Americans are devastated by the Taliban takeover and calling on the US to 'own up to its mistakes'
"It's been absolutely devastating. In the last ten days, members of our community have become immigration lawyers for our friends and family because of the lack of transparency from the Biden administration," Lida Azim, co-organizer of Afghans For a Better Tomorrow and co-founder of the Afghan Diaspora For Equality and Progress, told Insider. "We are doing our best to be there for not only them but also for the people of Afghanistan."
Women’s rights have an uncertain future in Afghanistan
“Women are not even leaving their homes because they don’t feel safe,” Lida Azim, an organizer with Afghans for a Better Tomorrow, said. “They might be allowed to go to work or school, but it’s a huge intimidation tactic.”
Biden administration faces big choices as economic calamity hangs over Afghanistan
“Much of the economy was propped up by U.S. and international aid. That is a major concern of my family in Kabul, who are worried the economy might crash completely due to the pullout and the uncertainty of it at all,” said Halema.
ALJAZEERA — 8/18/21
What does the future hold for Afghanistan? | The Stream
“The Taliban has once again taken control of Afghanistan. A swift offensive by the armed group toppled the government of President Ashraf Ghani and led to the handover of the country by the military.” Watch Lida Azim weigh in at the 1:04 mark.
Biden had a chance to save US allies in Afghanistan. He wasted it.
In the US’s stead, individuals and groups, like Arash Azizzada, an organizer for the US-based advocacy groups Afghans for a Better Tomorrow and the Afghan Diaspora for Equality and Progress, have been working to evacuate as many Afghans on the ground as possible.