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As the Taliban takes control of Afghanistan, there has been much international focus on the thousands who are attempting to leave the country, fearful for their safety. During the 20-year conflict, some Afghans worked as translators, interpreters and support staff with international armies and foreign organisations. Taliban officials have been keen to allay widespread safety fears but reports suggest the militant group are intensifying their hunt for such residents. Some of those who are afraid managed to immediately relocate to other countries, but many who want to leave find themselves stuck in their homes or their access to the airport prevented.

Hosts Karnie Sharp and Nuala McGovern hear from three Afghan interpreters who fear for their lives, as well as military veterans in the US and the UK concerned for the Afghan soldiers and police they once worked alongside.

We also hear from one woman who arrived in the United States just two days before the capital Kabul fell to the Taliban. Her family remains in Afghanistan and she relates the emotional conversations she has over the telephone with her sister.

(Photo: Civilians prepare to board a plane during an evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport, Kabul, Afghanistan August 18, 2021. Picture taken August 18, 2021. Credit: U.S. Marine Corps/Staff Sgt. Victor Mancilla/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo)