Washington:
A GoFundMe campaign to raise funds for the evacuation of 300 vulnerable Afghans fleeing the Taliban has raised more than $6 million, according to figures published Thursday.
The creator of the fundraising web page, New York-based Tommy Marcus, asked for funds to organize flights out of the nation for Afghans who danger getting targeted by the Taliban.
They consist of guys and ladies who worked as human rights lawyers, LGBTQ activists, journalists, government liaisons and other people, “all of whom are at imminent risk of being executed by the Taliban, along with their families,” the web page stated.
Marcus stated he was working with help groups, veterans and activists on the ground in Kabul to strategy the rescue operation.
Since its launch earlier this week, the campaign has received donations from more than 106,000 individuals, with contributions ranging from $1 to $20,000, collecting $5 million in the space of just one day.
“If these people do not get rescued as soon as possible, neither they nor their family will make it through the month,” the web page stated.
Neither GoFundMe nor Marcus responded to request for comment.
Thousands of Afghans rushed to Kabul airport in a desperate try to flee the nation just after the Taliban takeover of the capital on Sunday, with quite a few individuals dying in the melee.
Western governments have been evacuating thousands of their citizens as nicely as Afghan civilians who have worked for them, but the evacuations have been marked by chaos.
Memories are nevertheless fresh amongst Afghans of the Taliban’s brutal rule from 1996 to 2001, in the course of which girls could not go to college, ladies have been barred from working in jobs that would place them in speak to with guys, and individuals have been stoned to death.
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