Sahar Rezai fled the Taliban and Afghanistan in 2016 when she was just 14 years old after witnessing heinous atrocities brought against her family and her community. When her story was brought to my attention, I knew immediately it needed to be shared by as many people as possible. It is humbling to be a minute part of her experience and to be granted insight into her harrowing journey. It is also a gift to learn about what brings her hope in a reality that is so starkly different from what most of us (in our privilege) can comprehend. Sahar has many layers to her: she is a gifted painter/artist, an advocate for women and girls, and she also lives with cerebral palsy. As I interviewed Sahar, I was shocked by the fact that her community was constantly terrorized by the Taliban despite the fact that there were nearly 100,000 American troops on the ground during the peak of the U.S. occupation, who were supposed to protect them. She wonders, “How did the U.S. forces not reach these terrorists? And why did they leave my people alone? The hope of all Afghans was in them.� The Last 20 Years Before we really dive in, here is an overview of what the last 20 years have looked like in Afghanistan leading up to the USA’s recent departure on August 30th: Following 9/11 in 2001, President Bush sent U.S. troops to Afghanistan to defeat the Taliban and implement a Western-style democracy. They saw some success in the early days (hospitals and schools and such were built), but there were many underlying issues and widespread corruption. Seven years later, Obama initiated a massive uptick in troops on the ground, almost 100,000 soldiers were in Afghanistan at the time... but the Taliban was still putting up a fight. In 2014, American soldiers transitioned out of major combat and began training the Afghan army to fight the Taliban. On August 30th, 2021, Biden ordered all American troops to leave Afghanistan. Upon their departure, the Taliban completely and immediately took over. “‘Afghanistan political leaders gave up and fled the country,’� Mr. Biden said, accusing the military of laying down their arms after two decades of U.S. training. Some former Afghan warlords mobilized private militias, while other Afghans joined volunteer militias, many of them armed and financed by the government. “The Taliban overtook a string of provincial capitals before moving into Kabul—a frightening development for many who thought that they could build a life under the protection of their American allies.� (NYTimes) What was it like to live through this war? I interviewed Sahar over WhatsApp for a few weeks to bring you this conversation (she currently lives in Switzerland). She is a deeply compassionate, intelligent, multi-dimensional, and brave young woman. We cover some traumatic experiences, so please be aware of that as you read (Trigger warning).