Following the end of the massive evacuation effort of the U.S. troops from Afghanistan, which fell under Taliban leadership mid-August, many Americans and Afghans are still seeking to flee the country.
This includes up to 27 Sacramento school children who are now stranded in Afghanistan following the U.S. departure. These kids' grades range from elementary to high school and are from 19 families who live in the San Juan Unified School District in Sacramento. The children are accompanied by family members.
According to NPR, Sacramento, California has one of the largest Afghan American communities in the United States. It is yet unclear how the two dozen Sacramento school children will flee from the Taliban-led Afghanistan now that the Western troops have abandoned the war-stricken country. Up to 24 children and several of their family members remain in the country.
"These numbers continue to change rapidly. We believe that some of these families may be in transit out of Afghanistan, as we have not been able to reach many of them in the last few days," San Juan Unified School District Raj Rai said. "We stand ready to support these students and families in whatever way that we can."
Sacramento Congressman Ami Bera's communications director Travis Horne said in a statement that their office had been "in close contact" with the San Juan Unified School District and have "flagged the students' information with the State Department and Department of Defense," the Western Journal reported.
However, the State Department and DOD have not yet provided any updates on the two dozen Sacramento school children unable to leave Afghanistan.
Meanwhile, three more students from the Cajon Valley Union School District in El Cajon, California are still in Afghanistan. As of last week, there were 24 students and 16 parents who were stranded in the Afghan country, but most have since made it out. The students and their families were in Afghanistan for a summer vacation with their families.
Family members have since reached out to the district to hold the students' places in their classrooms, indicating that they will be back home safely. However, they failed to get on their scheduled flights to the U.S. The school district has since assisted in getting proper documentation for them to expedite their departure from Afghanistan.
The Gateway Pundit reported that several hundred Americans and Afghan allies remain stranded in Afghanistan after the U.S. concluded its withdrawal operations on August 31. The Afghan-American students remain in hiding in Afghanistan.
Meanwhile, Afghan allies are also finding difficulty in making it out of the country. An Afghan translator who worked with then-senator Joe Biden was also calling on the White House to help him and his family escape the Taliban in Afghanistan.
ABC News reported that according to a senior State Department official, there are still 200 U.S. citizens and a "majority" of Afghans who worked with U.S. diplomatic and military personnel left behind in Afghanistan who are "at risk from Taliban reprisals."
