fahima s friend is travelling with her. for a second night, they can t get into the airport so come back to a friend s house. fahima is now getting ready for another try today. farewells are being repeated, but it is getting harder. today, they manage to get to another entrance of the airport. they have been here since dawn, and the heat is making the wait unbearable. the day is over. the frustration has returned.
but the spread of violence overshadows almost everything, and it doesn t feel as festive here. i am visiting tour guide zabih afzali to see how he is getting on with his travel plans. zabih has dedicated his life to becoming a professional tour guide and a mountaineer. zabih was born at the peak of the taliban s power in 1998. when his family fled the civil wars and returned in 2006,
the next day, the panic is mounting, and people are filmed climbing military aeroplanes to escape. so far, over 25 people have reportedly died. shouting, gunfire. zabih, fatima and fahima are trying to get onto one of those evacuation flights. zabih and fatima receive a call early in the morning to go to the airport. they rush to the military airport on the back of this truck. but getting past thousands of people proves impossible. seven days after the fall of kabul, zabih and fatima finally get on a flight.
fatima grew up in a deprived village before moving to kabul, where she found her way into sports, martial arts and mountaineering. last year, she became the youngest woman to summit the highest peak of afghanistan, noshaq in the hindu kush mountain range. fatima s close friend, zabih afzali, is also a mountaineer and a tour guide.
but 2014 brought with it a new political and economic crisis, and they became refugees again. fahima stayed. it is the 7th of august, and the taliban s advance is gaining momentum. but for this young woman, it is a special day. it is shakil s birthday. everyone around this table was born within a year or two of the 9/11 attacks. afghanistan is a young country. 70% of the population are under 24. fatima sultani has come to celebrate her friend s birthday.