US Families Adopting Afghan Children Struggle To Get Kids Out Amid Taliban Resurgence

But with the collapse of the Afghan government, the couple is desperately trying to get the boy, Noman, on a flight out of Kabul -- going anywhere -- before the chance to leave disappears.

In the chaos following the Taliban takeover, Noman and another family tried to get to the airport Tuesday through clogged streets, checkpoints, and gunfire but were forced to turn back.

Mujtaba, who spoke to the boy and the family early Tuesday, said they hope to try again to get to the airport Wednesday.

바카라�I have tears in my eyes this morning and my wife has tears in her eyes,바카라� he said. 바카라�I couldn바카라�t really say much else other than 바카라�Go for it바카라� and 바카라�Be careful.바카라�바카라�

The Taliban바카라�s dramatic takeover of Afghanistan has reverberated worldwide, and for families like the Mujtabas, the fallout has been swift, deeply personal, and potentially life-altering. Knowing the militant group is almost certain not to uphold the adoption agreements from the collapsed Afghan government, the American couple바카라�s best hope is to get the boy out, fast.

바카라�Once they get to the airport, it바카라�s just a matter of waiting time. But it바카라�s a matter of waiting a few hours or a few days,바카라� Bahaudin Mujtaba said. Noman is currently in the custody of another family trying to leave.

Maybe they can get the boy to a nearby country. Maybe Pakistan. Wherever they go, he바카라�s willing to fly there and meet him.

바카라�But the first goal is to get him out of Afghanistan safely,바카라� Mujtaba said.

It바카라�s unclear how many among the throngs of people trying to flee Afghanistan include potential adoptive children. One other U.S. family, based in Indiana, is working with the same adoption agency as Mujtaba and is trying to get a 2-year-old boy out of the country.

Mary King, executive director of Frank Adoption Center in Wake Forest, North Carolina, is working with the families and said they had full permission from Afghan courts to bring the children to the U.S. and finalize the adoptions. They were awaiting U.S. visas, but everything changed in the past few days.

바카라�This all came about much faster than any of us anticipated, so we don바카라�t know,바카라� she said. 바카라�We have put them on every list. We바카라�ve filled out every form we바카라�ve been told about. Their names are everywhere we can get them, as far as with the appropriate U.S. authorities. And so now we are waiting to hear what may happen next.바카라�

U.S. adoptions from Afghanistan are relatively rare compared with adoptions from other countries, according to State Department data. From 1999 through 2019, 41 Afghan children were adopted by U.S. families. That바카라�s far fewer than other countries in the region, including 148 children from Iran and 667 from Pakistan. Other countries, like China, Ukraine, and Colombia, have seen thousands of children adopted by U.S. families over the past two decades.

The process in Afghanistan required working through the Afghan Family Court, which limited the guardianship process to Muslim parents. Families that receive permission from the court can then bring a child to the U.S. to finalize an adoption, according to the State Department.

But under Taliban rule, it바카라�s all but certain not to be permitted now, Mujtaba said, especially from a family-based in the U.S.

Mujtaba and his adoption agency have reached out to Florida Sen. Marco Rubio바카라�s office for help. Mujtaba has even offered to go to Afghanistan with the U.S. military, offering his familiarity with the language and culture in return for a chance to bring the boy home.

Rubio바카라�s office confirmed it is working with Mujtaba and the adoption agency but did not offer more details about what options the senator바카라�s staff was pursuing.

Mujtaba and his wife agreed to adopt Noman, a distant relative after Mujtaba met him during a visit to Kabul five years ago.

바카라�I just basically fell in love with this little boy. And based on hearing everything, then we knew we had the means and the motivation to help him,바카라� he said.

The child바카라�s mother died of cancer, leaving the boy with his adult brothers and elderly father who is unable to care for him. Mujtaba described Noman as 바카라�a little boy who has big dreams.바카라� He loves music, gets top grades in school, and wants to become an engineer or a doctor -- a profession Mujtaba said the boy may be drawn to because he바카라�s had to meet with so many doctors.

Noman appears to have diabetes and other medical issues, possibly stemming from nutrition problems, but Mujtaba said it바카라�s not totally clear if the doctors in Afghanistan gave him the right diagnosis or the treatments.

바카라�That바카라�s the environment, unfortunately, that you바카라�re in, in Afghanistan,바카라� he said. 바카라�We바카라�re not really sure exactly what the problems might be, once we get here. He바카라�s fine for a period of time and then, unfortunately, he바카라�s not.바카라�

Mujtaba is a U.S. citizen who emigrated from Afghanistan 40 years ago. After the Taliban was displaced two decades ago, he returned in 2005 to the country of his birth for the first time in 20 years. He바카라�s visited Noman 10 times over the past years, staying three to five weeks at a time.

His wife, who is American, has never been to Afghanistan or met the boy in person because it seemed too dangerous to bring her, Mujtaba said.

King, whose agency primarily handles international adoptions, said her agency processed another adoption from Afghanistan in 2017, but they바카라�ve never had to deal with a collapsed government. She said her team is working with the families to get the children out, hoping to secure emergency visas amid a situation she described as 바카라�very, very scary.바카라�

바카라�I바카라�m watching this as their social worker. I cannot fathom what they themselves are feeling and what these little boys are feeling,바카라� she said.

Mujtaba, a professor at Nova Southeastern University, said that though the adoption process had felt drawn out, they were hopeful that they were close until about a week ago.

But now, he바카라�s not sure when or if they will be able to bring the boy to his new home in Fort Lauderdale.

바카라�I think that that바카라�s in jeopardy now,바카라� he said.