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Sunday, July 5, 2009

Deteriorating Afghanistan

While foreign diplomats hold out hope that the August presidential elections and President Obama’s new troop deployments could change things here, Afghans are voting with their feet.

Last year about 18,000 Afghans applied for asylum in Europe, a figure nearly double the 2007 total. The spike was the highest increase for any major country in 2008, according to the United Nations. By comparison, applications from Iraqis fell 10 percent.

“People can’t find jobs here,” Mr. Ahad said. “And if you go to a place where there’s work, you’ll be killed in a week.

“I’m desperate,” he added. “It’s not a big dream. I just want to finish my studies and live normally.”

link: Running Out Of Options, Afghans Pay For an Exit - NYTimes.com


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