Warwick woman has fears for the lives of her family who are living in Afghanistan under Taliban rule

Mariam Marzai, who has lived in the UK for 12 years and has a British passport, is desperate to get her loved ones to safety - with some of them having to go into hiding
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A Warwick woman has spoken about her fears for the lives of her family who are living in Afghanistan under Taliban rule.

Mariam Marza, who has lived in the UK for 12 years and has a British passport, is desperate to find a way to get her loved ones to safety.

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They are among the many who were not able to escape the country after the withdrawal of US forces which finished on August 30.

Taliban fighters patrol in a vehicle along a street in Kabul on September 2, 2021. (Photo by Aamir QURESHI / AFP) (Photo by AAMIR QURESHI/AFP via Getty Images)Taliban fighters patrol in a vehicle along a street in Kabul on September 2, 2021. (Photo by Aamir QURESHI / AFP) (Photo by AAMIR QURESHI/AFP via Getty Images)
Taliban fighters patrol in a vehicle along a street in Kabul on September 2, 2021. (Photo by Aamir QURESHI / AFP) (Photo by AAMIR QURESHI/AFP via Getty Images)

We have kept the names of Mariam's loved ones out of this article for their own safety.

She said: "My four sisters live in Afghanistan - they are hiding and their life is so dangerous.

"I am so sad and worried about my family.

"One of my brothers, his wife and daughter all worked for Afghanistan national security.

"He has six children in total.

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"He has been trained by the American government in counter-terrorism.

"My brother also looks after my father, my mother and my young sister, who is 14, and we are worried the Taliban will find her and take her away.

"My other brother has a wife and one child and he worked for the Afghan national army.

"My brother-in-law works for the police and is scared to go to work as his colleagues are being killed

"My nephew is also a policeman.

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"They are all currently hiding as other people who they worked with have been taken from their homes at night by the Taliban."

Mariam has contacted Warwick and Leamington MP Matt Western in an attempt to find a way to get safe passage for her family members to the UK.

Reports suggest the UK government has been unable to evacuate nearly 7,000 people who hoped they might be granted safe passage to the UK, including the relatives of the 25 families in Warwick and Leamington.

Mr Western said: “I have scarcely been so angry in all my years working as an elected representative.

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“So many people have been unforgivably deserted by this government – potentially left to suffer violence and death under the Taliban.

“My team worked so hard every day to help desperate constituents who have been ignored by the Foreign Office and must now be fearing they will never see their families again.

“It feels like we have failed them – but it is this government that failed to plan and failed to help so many people. Shame on them.”

The Foreign Office says it will continue to do all it can to get British nationals and eligible Afghans out of the country while the security situation allows.

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