Utah man worried about wife, children stuck in Afghanistan

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (KUTV) — A Utah man is worried about his wife and children who are stuck in Afghanistan.

They've been there for three months, he said, trying to get out with no success.

The man, whom 2News is not identifying due to concerns about his family’s safety, is originally from Afghanistan and moved to Utah five years ago.

He said his wife has a green card, and his children have U.S. passports. They went to Afghanistan in July to visit relatives, the man said. The country fell to the Taliban in August, and they’ve been trying to leave ever since.

The man said he calls his family regularly, but everyone is worried.

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“They are just sad,” he told 2News. “It’s kind of more tension.”

The man said he communicates regularly with the U.S. State Department, trying to get his family on a flight out of the country. He showed 2News emails he's sent and received in a lengthy effort to secure transportation for them. But so far, there’s no flight.

The man’s wife is sick right now without some needed medicine, he said, and his kids are missing school.

“There are a lot of folks that weren’t able to be evacuated,” said Aden Batar with Catholic Community Services.

Batar said he hears a lot from Utahns who are worried about loved ones in Afghanistan.

“We’re very hopeful that the State Department is doing all they can to make a deal with the regime there in Afghanistan,” Batar said, “and see how we can have a safe passage for those that want to leave Afghanistan.”

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The man said he's trying everything to get his family out safely, even reaching out to Sen. Mike Lee’s office. He’s had no success yet, and he admitted it's hard to stay optimistic as he loses hope.

“I’m thinking it’s going to be not happening,” he said, “because it’s been months it’s going like this.”

Catholic Community Services helps the Utah Afghan community where they can with situations like this, Batar said, but they're limited in a country like Afghanistan which has no U.S. embassy.

Meanwhile, the agency is working to resettle refugees from Afghanistan who have started arriving in Utah. Batar said about 30 refugees have come to the state since September, with many more on the way. Gov. Spencer Cox said last month the state expects to resettle 765 Afghans over the next few months.

Catholic Community Services needs help in this process from the community, Batar said.

“Housing is our biggest need,” Batar said. “If you’re a landlord, if you have a basement, if you have a bedroom available, please contact us. We need a place to put these people that are coming into our community and to welcome them.”

You can contact Catholic Community Services or donate by visiting their website here.