CHICAGO — On a recent video call, Bahara’s face flickered in and out — her sharp cheekbones barely visible in the dark. The power was out again in Kabul.

The 19-year-old spoke for a few minutes with her family in Illinois before the screen went black and an eerie quiet settled over the room.

It has been four years since Bahara’s family of seven was together, and since they last saw their youngest daughter. In their living room, half a world away from her, they relive their separation from her.

“We are very, very worried all the time,” her father said, curled up on the floor, weeping. “We always think about her.” The Tribune has withheld Bahara’s parents’ names for security reasons.

In August 2021, shortly after American troops withdrew from Afghanistan and as the Taliban advanced on Ka

See Full Page