Afghan Chevening scholar relieved after evacuation to UK

A Chevening scholar who has arrived in the UK after being airlifted out of Afghanistan has stated she is relieved to destroy out the “hell” of Taliban rule but is jumpy about how the trauma of her ordeal will affect her reports.

Afsana Hamidy, 26, arrived at Birmingham airport on Wednesday, and might per chance perhaps unruffled be finding out a grasp’s in inclusive education at Roehampton College in London. “I glean labored for nearly two years to gather this scholarship. This is one of the best factor that has given me hope for the long term,” she stated. “However I’m now now not positive how my reports will high-tail together with the mental scenario that I glean correct now. It’s now now not easy to omit what has took topic overnight.

“I glean excitement in my heart but I’m anxious about my nation, my chums and the total folks that I left in the support of. I glean a punishment feeling for myself because I left for a richer, steady nation, but I couldn’t benefit others.”

There are 35 Afghan scholars due to be evacuated who are half of the Chevening programme, which funds one-year grasp’s degrees at UK universities.

It is miles assumed there are unruffled a host caught in Kabul, together with one who stated he felt let down by the absence of the assistance of the UK. “The British will glean carried out extra to benefit by arranging transportation to the airport,” he stated. “As a Chevening scholar, they promised to evacuate us but they glean left as by myself at this onerous time.”

He’s in hiding and stated he felt his existence changed into now at threat. He despatched movies from the security cameras at his house showing the Taliban making several visits to the house. “They strive to gather me as they bear in mind I promoted the UK’s culture and their agendas, and that I am their trained person.”

He stated the British embassy had given him a relocation cross , but that the had failed to gather shut to the airport gate exterior Baron resort on Wednesday, and made up our minds to stop at house the following day because he didn’t desire to say his early life to the scenes of chaos again.

After the two suicide bombs exterior Kabul airport on Thursday, one advance the Baron resort, he stated he changed into relieved to glean averted the house.

The International Plight of enterprise blocked the Chevening college students from taking on their UK executive-backed scholarships earlier this month, pronouncing it’d be unable to route of their visas in time. Hamidy stated the decision left her feeling “traumatised and stressful”. She stated she feared being trapped in Afghanistan and focused by the Taliban on story of their opposition to ladies’s education.

“When the Taliban took over the nation it changed into esteem a hell. I couldn’t focal level, I couldn’t have confidence choices. All I could per chance perhaps bear in mind changed into how I’m going to gather previous the gates,” she stated.

When she at final made it to the airport she changed into evacuated on a military airplane with between 600 and 700 other of us. “We had been all sitting on the bottom of the airplane so it changed into too crowded, too uncomfortable. As I changed into sat on the airplane, I changed into thinking that I missed the time after I changed into in a topic to depart humanly, now now not esteem this,” she stated.

After arriving in the UK she changed into transferred to an in depth by resort to quarantine for 10 days under Covid tips, and stated she changed into overwhelmed by the supportive messages she has got from the general public.

“I didn’t bear in mind that the UK of us would welcome me so warmly. I changed into horrified, I didn’t know how I’d feel. Will the UK develop into my house, my 2d nation, or now now not?” she stated. “However since the day prior to this, the messages that I glean got from all of you, in particular from of us on Twitter, their warm welcome and their nice attitudes makes this come what might per chance feel esteem house.

“However I have confidence glean peril about my chums, my colleagues, the realm the build I glean lived for a actually long time. Their lives are in hazard, so I’m anxious about them and their future,” she stated, adding she changed into in particular jumpy for younger ladies and families financially supported by ladies. “If they don’t seem to be allowed to continue working, then I surely don’t know what is going to occur.”

A International Plight of enterprise spokesperson stated: “Now we had been assisting this year’s Afghan Chevening scholars to leave the nation they veritably glean begun arriving in the UK.”