When Kabul fell to the Taliban, Afghan journalist Fatema Hosseini had only bad options. As a female reporter who’d worked for USA TODAY, she could stay and likely be killed or taken by the Taliban, or she could try to run.
But getting out seemed impossible.
The Taliban had already ransacked her parents’ home.
USA TODAY's international correspondent Kim Hjelmgaard swung into action to help Fatema escape. With assistance from military contacts, Kim managed to get Fatema a seat on plane bound for Ukraine. Later, she would make it to the U.S.
But getting into the Kabul airport meant Fatema had to cross multiple Taliban checkpoints, duck gunfire, and avoid the whips and beatings of angry Taliban lashing out at the desperate crowds clustered at the gates.
The week of Fatema's escape, at least 20 people died in the chaos.
USA TODAY is bringing you the story of Fatema’s heroic escape on this Sunday episode.
She finally made it onto a flight from Kabul to Islamabad, from Islamabad to Kyiv. My colleague Kim Hjelmgaard met her in Ukraine.
In this episode, Kim sits down with Fatema to recap her journey out of Afghanistan.
Episode transcript linked here.
Also available at art19.com/shows/5-Things.
More about how Fatema Hosseini's escaped Kabul:
Staying could mean death. The escape nearly killed her. How one woman fled Afghanistan for freedom.
By Fatema Hosseini and Kim Hjelmgaard with Kelley Benham French
The Backstory: How a Navy officer, a Ukrainian colonel and a USA TODAY reporter helped an Afghan journalist escape Kabul
By editor-in-chief Nicole Carroll
Taliban fighters tortured my journalist colleagues. They risk their lives to tell the truth.
By Fatema Hosseini
In response to popular demand, here's another personal finance episode (like last Sunday's) from back in 2020:
Why young people of color should be investing in the stock market
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