The latest reports from Afghanistan reveal that Christians have been fleeing the cities, moving to remote areas to escape the Taliban. Many Christians who remain are trapped inside the country, unable to leave via its now-sealed borders. Some have received death threats.
Although many Christians managed to get out ahead of the Taliban advance, there are still thought to be several thousand in Afghanistan. Even if they wanted to leave they could not, as the borders are strictly controlled by the Taliban.
Pakistan and Iran would normally be the natural escape routes for fleeing Afghans. But the Pakistan border is officially closed to refugees from Afghanistan, and both Pakistan and Iran say they have reached their limit of refugees and asylum seekers.
SAT-7 Pars broadcasts programmes via satellite TV into Afghanistan. Its executive director, Panayiotis Keenan, said: ‘Since the Taliban has taken over, we are receiving many messages from Afghanistan that the persecution is getting harder.
‘Afghan Christians are contacting us every day, describing how difficult the situation is. They are hiding and meeting in secret locations. But winter is coming and that will soon become more and more difficult.’
The UK has pledged to take 20,000 Afghan refugees, with priority given to women, children, and those facing persecution. At the same time, the UK Government is pressing ahead with a Nationalities and Borders Bill which some, including the UN, claim could criminalise refugees taking unauthorised routes into the UK. That would include refugees from Afghanistan.
That comes as the country faces a massive humanitarian crisis caused by war, crop failures, climate change, and the pandemic. World Vision’s assessment is that Afghanistan is now one of the most dangerous and difficult places on earth to be a child, with fully half the nation’s under-fives expected to suffer from acute malnutrition in 2021.
‘Increasing numbers of Christians around the world are having to flee in the face of extremism,’ says Release International CEO Paul Robinson. ‘We are pleased to see the UK Government is prioritising Afghan refugees who are facing persecution. Let us continue to do all we can as a country to support those who have been uprooted from their homes because of their faith. ’
