Dozens gather in downtown Dallas to denounce Taliban, support Afghanistan - The Dallas Morning News

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As violence in Afghanistan continues, protesters in downtown Dallas called upon the U.S. to provide more help to people who are trying to escape the South Asian country.

Members of Afghan Unity DFW gathered Saturday at Civic Garden to march as they chanted in support of the South Asian country and held signs denouncing the Taliban and calling for peace.

It was the second Saturday in a row the group met at the park. John Nayeb, president of the organization, said his group is conducting the demonstrations to express their frustration with how the United States withdrew from Afghanistan and to try to build support for the people who are fleeing the Taliban takeover.

“Last 20 years there was progress, the presence of the U.S. in Afghanistan brought some stability and people were getting a better life,” Nayeb said. “But the U.S. decided to leave overnight. I think, personally, it was a mistake to leave. Even if the U.S. decided to leave, it should have been gradual, not overnight. I’m not a politician, but I think it was a mistake.”

In February 2020, the Trump administration struck an agreement with the Taliban that called for the militant group to halt attacks on Americans in exchange for a U.S. agreement to remove all American troops and contractors by May 2021. Biden announced in April that he would have all forces out by September.

Western leaders acknowledged that their withdrawal would mean leaving behind some of their citizens and many locals who helped them over the years, and they vowed to try to continue working with the Taliban to allow local allies to leave after President Joe Biden’s Tuesday’s deadline to withdraw from the country.

Although most of its allies had finished their evacuation flights, the U.S. planned to keep its round-the-clock flights going until the deadline, saying 117,000 people had been evacuated since the Taliban claimed Kabul on Aug. 15.

Afghan Unity DFW is collecting donations for refugee and asylee families from Afghanistan that will settle in the Dallas area, Nayeb said.

“They have no clothing, no nothing,” he said. “As we see on the news, they’re trying to save themselves and they need help from Afghans who are in Dallas.”

Tayyaba Nizam, who said she is of Pakistani descent, said she attended the rally because she is concerned the world will quickly forget how Afghanistan was torn apart.

“It’s just so heartbreaking. I feel we should do anything we can do to spread more awareness; that’s the least we can do,” Nizam said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Dozens gather in downtown Dallas to denounce Taliban, support Afghanistan - The Dallas Morning News
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