A pregnant woman from Southern California who was beaten by the Taliban in Afghanistan has safely returned home to San Diego, Republican Rep. Darrell Issa announced Friday.
Among the hundreds of Americans who remained in Afghanistan after the last U.S. plane left on Aug. 31 was a woman who only goes by the name of Nasria, a pregnant 25-year-old who was kicked in the stomach by Taliban officials. As of Friday, she departed Afghanistan en route to California, the congressman confirmed.
“Countless hours of coordination by our team paid off. Nasria is on her way home from Afghanistan,” Issa tweeted.
Countless hours of coordination by our team paid off.
Nasria is on her way home from Afghanistan. pic.twitter.com/IUfwvzEPvk
— Rep. Darrell Issa (@repdarrellissa) September 17, 2021
REPUBLICANS QUESTION NUMBER OF AMERICANS LEFT IN AFGHANISTAN AS HORROR STORIES ROLL IN
Nasria and her husband attempted to leave through the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, earlier this month, but they were unable to book a flight. After hearing Nasria’s story, Issa said he immediately began to work with contacts in Afghanistan to bring her home. The husband remained in Afghanistan after Nasria departed, the congressman said.
While she was in Afghanistan, Nasria said that Americans were being hunted by the Taliban.
“Apparently, they’re going door-to-door … trying to see if anybody has a blue passport,” she said in an interview with Voice of America earlier this month.
Nasria also commented on how hard it was to get on a plane, even as an American, saying people were sleeping in the streets.
“People were literally stepping over each other. That’s how bad it was,” she told the outlet.
Issa represents a large portion of the East County region in California near San Diego, which has a significant population of Afghan Americans. The congressman has worked to help evacuate 33 San Diegans from Afghanistan, including one couple in their 80s.
“We continue to work around the clock to ensure hundreds of American citizens stranded in Afghanistan are able to escape,” Issa said in a press release. “Nothing ends until our community is once again reunited with loved ones.”
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
While officials’ initial estimates suggested hundreds of Americans remained in Afghanistan after the Aug. 31 U.S. troop withdrawal, Secretary of State Antony Blinken has since said “thousands” of lawful permanent residents of the United States likely remain in Afghanistan.
Approximately 60,000 Afghan evacuees reached the U.S. between Aug. 17 and Sept. 9.
