'The Kite Runner' author Khaled Hosseini laments Afghanistan's 'nightmare', Taliban's rise

Afghan-American novelist Khaled Hosseini has shown readers worldwide a side of Afghanistan that goes side-by-side with the war and terror that has mired the region over the last several decades. His debut best-seller "The Kite Runner" was published in 2003, two years after the deadly 9/11 attacks and the subsequent US-led invasion in Afghanistan.

Millions of people were captivated by the tale of two young boys -  Amir and Hassan - from opposite ends of society, whose lives transform after the Soviet invasion.

The world's attention is once again on Afghanistan as the barbaric Taliban regained control of the war-torn nation, putting countless lives at risk. For Hosseini, watching the nightmare unfold in his hometown has been utterly gut-wrenching.

Though Hosseini left Kabul in 1976, his ties with the country and its people run deep. The author, who moved to the US with his parents in 1980, has described the past week as the bleakest days that Afghanistan has seen in decades.

"Afghanistan is a beautiful country filled with beautiful people who have poetry in their souls, who are humble, hospitable, and kind. They do not deserve 40 years of violence, persecution, and the cruelties that they have endured," said Hosseini in an interview with NBC host Mehdi Hasan. 

Stressing that now is not the time 'to turn our backs to Afghanistan', he called on the US and its allies to stand up for the war-stricken country, and keep their borders open for Afghan refugees. He urged America to continue to support those Afghans who are fleeing the brutal regime of the Taliban and are looking for safety. 

"The American decision (to withdraw troops) has been made. And the nightmare Afghans feared is unfolding before our eyes. We cannot abandon a people that have searched for forty years for peace. Afghan women must not be made to languish again behind locked doors and pulled curtains. The United States has a moral obligation to admit as many Afghan refugees as possible," said Hosseini. 

'What will America do about Afghan crisis?'

In a series of tweets posted over the last week, the author posed several questions before the US government over its response to the Afghanistan crisis. 

"President Biden failed to answer the fundamental question. What will America do about Afghanistan’s looming humanitarian crisis? Who will protect the men, women, and children left behind?" asked Hosseini. 

He recalled that after the fall of Vietnamese city Saigon, the Indo-China Migration and Refugee Assistance Act allowed 130,000 refugees from South Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia to enter the United States under a special status. Hosseini said the same should be done for Afghan refugees today.

A goodwill ambassador for the UN Refugee Agency, Khaled Hosseini also informed that almost 300,000 people have been forced to flee their homes since the start of the year, in light of the Afghanistan crisis. In video messages shared by the UNHCR on its official Twitter handle, the author has urged people to help in providing life-saving support to Afghans in need during this heartbreaking moment in time. Besides Khaled's contribution to the United Nations, his Khaled Hosseini Foundation delivers aid to Afghan women and children.