One year after the US withdrew from Afghanistan, refugees find support from all corners of Chicago
CHICAGO — A year ago, former Afghan soldiers Rahimullah Zaland and Khan Madin Ashana fled their home country as the United States withdrew the last of its troops in dramatic airlifts in the final weeks of August. They spent months traveling separately through different countries, looking for a safe haven before landing in Chicago.
“When I came here to Chicago, I was not used to the environment because this place was really cold,” Zaland said. “I arrived here in the winter; it was really difficult for me to manage my life here in the beginning. I had to solve so many personal problems in the first two months.”
The soldiers turned refugees were
