How a family escaped Afghanistan and was embraced by a group of neighbors

In early August of 2021, Haafiz watched the Taliban fighters closing in on Kabul, where he lived in a three-bedroom apartment with his wife and five children. That summer, he worked mostly at home, as the deadliest wave of COVID-19 swept through Afghanistan.

A softly spoken 45-year-old computer engineer took pride in how far he’d come: he held respected positions working for a U.S.-based aid organization, a job that supported his own family and allowed him to help three other families with medications and urgent expenses.

The closer the Taliban got to Kabul, the more fragile his life appeared. On Aug. 15, when the militants seized Kabul and the government collapsed, he recalled the city descending into pure chaos. Images of people clinging to departing airplanes became a haunting symbol