The author of ‘The Kite Runner’ has a message for anyone worried about Afghanistan

By Harmeet Kaur, CNN

Khaled Hosseini’s novels show readers around the world a side of Afghanistan that goes beyond war and terror.

His debut bestseller “The Kite Runner” was published in 2003, two years after the September 11 attacks and the subsequent US mission in Afghanistan. Millions of people have been captivated by the story of Amir and Hassan, two boys from different walks of life whose lives have taken very different paths after the Soviet invasion.

His subsequent novels “A Thousand Spendid Suns” and “And the Mountains Echoed” achieved similar successes, both of which were set at least partially in Afghanistan.

After the impressive takeover of power by the Taliban, Afghanistan is once again attracting the world’s attention. For Hosseini, the development of the situation over the past week has been absolutely heartbreaking.

Although Hosseini left his place of birth in 1976, his connection to the country and its people is deep. The author, who came to the USA with his parents in 1980 and still lives in Northern California, describes the past week as the darkest days Afghanistan has seen in decades.

“I have no idea what the future holds for Afghanistan,” he told CNN in a telephone interview.

He worries about his friends and family who are still around, the people he met on his travels in the country, the volunteers who helped refugees and the activists who were the loudest advocates for human rights.

CNN spoke to Hosseini about the Taliban’s return to power, what responsibility the US has towards Afghanistan and what he wishes the Americans to do understood about the country and its people.

The interview has been edited for length and clarity.

How did it feel to see your childhood home in Kabul fall back to the Taliban?

It’s heartbreaking. One day I woke up, turned on my cell phone and saw that Kabul had fallen. I’ve been to Afghanistan a few times since 9/11 and the American invasion of Afghanistan and it’s just absolutely heartbreaking.

I have a very strong emotional bond with the country, the city and its people. In fact, I haven’t lived in Afghanistan since 1976, but I spent those formative years there. It is just heartbreaking to see the Taliban flag fly over this city.

How do you remember your early years there?

It’s surreal how different it was. [There were] Hippies lounging in teahouses and women who smoke in public and wear short skirts, drive cars and work in government as lawyers and doctors, and so on. It was a completely different society. Kabul was a thriving city and quite liberal by the standards of a conservative religious country.

For forty years it was one of the hardest places on the planet to be a kid, but I had a really lovely childhood there. I am just so grateful to have lived in Afghanistan during this time. I witnessed the last few years of peace and stability in Afghanistan before the Soviets invaded and set off this whole domino of events that culminated in our all watching the last few days on television.

What do you hear from your family and friends who are still in Afghanistan?

They tell me what to expect: that they are very concerned about their safety, the safety of their friends, the future of the country, what the arrival of the Taliban now means for the many rights and gains that are in the have been painstakingly achieved over the last 20 years.

Where do you think Afghanistan was going after the Taliban was driven out in 2001?

My feelings coincided with those of millions of Afghans: that the Taliban were gone and that there was a chance for a better future – for a more stable, prosperous and peaceful country that moves forward.

I was in Kabul in 2003. It was the first time in 27 years that I returned to Afghanistan. There was this very intoxicating atmosphere. Everyone was a little dizzy from the possibility. There was as yet no sign of an uprising. People were pretty hopeful.

It’s a stark contrast to today. For me these are the darkest days [in Afghanistan] the last 20 years and probably the darkest days since the civil war between 1992 and 1996. I have no idea what the future holds for Afghanistan.

When did these feelings of hope begin to change? Did you ever expect the Taliban to take over Afghanistan again as it was before?

When I was in Afghanistan and spoke to the locals, it was remarkable how everyone echoed the same thing: If the Americans were going away, they would not have believed that the Afghan state could protect them and preserve the land. That was even more true years later.

I think the majority of Afghans were concerned that without the presence of international troops in Afghanistan, the Afghan state would fall into the hands of insurgent groups like the Taliban. I didn’t think it would fall so quickly. But within 11 days the country fell into the hands of the Taliban and here we are. It’s absolutely breathtaking.

Other foreign powers have invaded Afghanistan only to have failed their missions. Was it inevitable that the US operation would end the same way? Would a continued US troop presence have made any significant difference?

At first I supported the American operation in Afghanistan – millions of Afghans did.

There have been legitimate complaints about the way Americans did business in Afghanistan. There have been incidents over the years that undermined some of the Afghan goodwill and confidence of the Americans. Most Afghans, however, realized that the American presence in Afghanistan was a buffer against the country falling into the hands of the insurgents. That turns out to be prophetically true.

President Biden made a speech the other day and I think I would ask him, what is the legacy of the past 20 years? What was it all for? On the American side, the country is back in the hands of the people we threw out of there. On the Afghan side, thousands and thousands of civilians died, so many people were displaced, so many villages were bombed, so many people suffered in the hope of a better future for the country.

Now they are at the mercy of a group that the US itself has called a terrorist group, which in the mid-1990s imposed a real reign of terror on the Afghan people and made Afghanistan a safe haven for terrorist groups. So it’s a very bitter pill to swallow. And from an Afghan perspective, it’s hard to blame them for feeling betrayed.

What responsibility does the world now have towards Afghanistan and its people?

We can expect Afghans to be displaced in the coming days, weeks and months. There is already a humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan. In these early days, it is absolutely essential that aid workers and aid agencies like UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency and others have access to these people in order to provide life-saving services.

And I think I would call on all countries to keep their borders open and welcome Afghan refugees who were fleeing violence and persecution 40 years ago. This moment is not the time to give up Afghanistan. It is not time to turn your back on Afghans and Afghan refugees.

The United States owes the Afghans – those who lagged behind, who subscribed to US goals, who believed in US initiatives, who worked with us and other foreign forces at the risk of their own lives. We must not turn our backs on these people.

What do you think of the Taliban saying their rule will be different this time?

My feelings about it mirror those of many other Afghans. I am deeply skeptical. We believe that the Taliban must prove this with action, not with words.

The world’s attention is currently on the Taliban, so it is not surprising that they say they will respect human rights and will respect the rights of women. However, you say very cautiously “within the limits of Islamic law”, which leaves the interpretation completely open.

Your books have introduced Afghanistan to so many readers around the world. To what extent can fiction promote understanding of the culture of a country and its people?

There is a window into it. It is a person’s experience. I am very blessed that people have read my books and have established a personal connection to the plight of the Afghans and to the country of Afghanistan itself, because Afghanistan has been associated with the Taliban and the war, terrorism and war for many, many years Drug trafficking. I hope people leave my books with a more nuanced and complex understanding of Afghanistan.

However, I don’t see myself as a representative for Afghanistan. The Afghan people in Afghanistan are very close to my heart and I have a keen interest in what is happening there, but I lived in exile for a very, very long time. I hope my novels are a starting point for learning more about Afghanistan, but that shouldn’t be the end.

What other Afghan writers should we read right now?

Fariba Nawa, journalist and wonderful author, has written a book entitled “Opium Nation: Child Brides, Drug Lords, and One Woman’s Journey Through Afghanistan”. It’s a family memory about the opium trade in Afghanistan. It also offers a perspective on Afghanistan over the past 30 years or so.

I recommend Tamim Ansary’s “West of Kabul, East of New York” to those who want to understand not only Afghan history but also the experiences of Afghans living in exile.

Which Afghan voices are being overlooked at this moment?

One of my big concerns is that women’s voices will be overlooked. When the Taliban had the say in Afghanistan in the 1990s, the Taliban essentially barred women from any meaningful participation in Afghan social life. It was maybe the worst place on the planet to be a woman.

Right now the Taliban are saying the right things, but I agree with many other Afghans who say that I hope the voices of women in Afghanistan are not silenced. They are the bravest, most resilient, and resourceful group of people in Afghanistan, and I have great respect for them.

What do you want more people to understand about Afghanistan?

You are a people tired of war. You are tired. You are exhausted. They have gone through 40 years of turmoil and displacements and one crisis after another.

I ask people not to forsake the Afghan people when the limelight disappears. These millions of people will still be there.

The US has called the Afghans our partners for the past 20 years, and then we left. Millions of Afghans are now at the mercy of a group that has systematically brutalized and terrorized the country for 20 years.

It is entirely possible that we will see a large influx of Afghans fleeing the violence and fleeing to the border. It is absolutely essential that these people have access to territory and access to asylum procedures and that they are protected. Please therefore support those organizations that work for the rights and well-being of refugees.

The CNN Wire
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