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Global Friends of Afghanistan

Connecting Afghans with the world

Global Friends of Afghanistan is a US-based 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, that educates people about the history, culture, and current events affecting Afghanistan. 

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Resources for Afghans 

Click on the symbol to the left
 

GFA Statement: August 15th 2025


The Fall of Afghanistan and Its Enduring Consequences


On August 15, 2021, the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan fell to the Taliban, al-Qaeda, the Haqqani Network, and their Pakistani enablers in the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). In a matter of days, twenty years of hard-fought gains—achieved through the blood, sweat, and sacrifice of a generation of American, NATO, and Afghan soldiers—were erased by the very organizations responsible for the deaths of nearly 3,000 Americans on September 11, 2001.


The consequences of this collapse have been profound and enduring.


American and Afghan combat veterans continue to suffer from the moral injuries inflicted by the images of chaos and abandonment at Kabul International Airport. These memories fuel a persistently high veteran suicide rate and a growing crisis of meaning, especially among Gold Star families who now grapple with the question: was it worth it?


Four years later, the U.S. government has failed to hold anyone accountable for the disaster, nor has it formally acknowledged that the war was lost. Meanwhile, Congress has refused to pass the Afghan Adjustment Act—a vital measure to protect our Afghan allies—choosing instead to politicize the withdrawal while offering no meaningful solutions.


The true victims of the U.S. withdrawal are the 32 million Afghans now imprisoned under Taliban rule. Despite early claims of moderation, the Taliban has imposed a brutal regime of gender apartheid, banning women and girls from virtually all aspects of public life. The group continues to hunt, imprison, torture, and sexually assault former Afghan allies—many of whom remain trapped behind enemy lines.


The humanitarian situation is dire. Jobs are scarce and often reserved for regime loyalists. Kabul faces a looming water crisis. Food insecurity is rampant. Drug abuse is on the rise—despite Taliban promises to address the issue.


None of this should have come as a surprise. Afghan war veterans, diplomats, and aid workers warned of these outcomes. And despite some political narratives to the contrary, the Taliban is not—and will never be—a legitimate counterterrorism partner. It remains a terrorist organization, still aligned with al-Qaeda.


As the international community turns its back on Afghanistan, the Taliban gains legitimacy with each passing day. Former President Trump’s decision to delist Sirajuddin Haqqani—a wanted terrorist with American and Afghan blood on his hands—and Russia’s recognition of the Taliban regime further tightened its grip on power.


Worse still, President Trump’s rollback of protections for Afghan allies already in the United States adds to the betrayal. These men and women served honorably beside American forces for two decades. Deporting them is tantamount to issuing a death sentence. Denying them immigration pathways is an abandonment of our values and our word.


Yet amid this betrayal and suffering, Global Friends of Afghanistan remains resolute. On this solemn anniversary, we reaffirm our mission to elevate the voices of our Afghan allies and pursue a just peace for Afghanistan—one that honors those who stood with us during our longest war.


Therefore, we call for urgent action:
 

Congress must immediately halt ICE’s unjust detention of Afghan allies currently living in the United States.
 

Temporary Protected Status (TPS) must be re-established for Afghans in the U.S., alongside full funding for the State Department’s Coordinator for Afghan Relocation Efforts, to ensure legal pathways remain open for those still trapped inside Afghanistan.
 

Congress must pass the Afghan Adjustment Act, just as we did for our South Vietnamese allies, providing a pathway to permanent residency for those who served beside us.
 

The U.S. must lead a renewed international sanctions effort targeting Taliban leaders, Haqqani Network operatives, terrorist financiers, and their political lobbyists. This should include no-fly and visa bans, banking and asset restrictions, and a refusal to recognize Taliban envoys in international forums. These measures will isolate the regime, disrupt its funding, and reaffirm that the Taliban remains an illegitimate terrorist entity.
 

Finally, the U.S. must support the creation of an inclusive Afghan political coalition—capable of negotiating a future not dictated by the Taliban, but shaped by the will of the Afghan people.


Global Friends of Afghanistan

GFA's Director, Jason Criss Howk and Hosna Jalil,  GFA Fellow, talk to CNN

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GFA Director, Jason Criss Howk talks to Beth Bailey about GFA and Afghanistan

Global Friends of Afghanistan
2nd Annual Conference

Hosted at the Military Women's Memorial Arlington Cemetery VA

 

"Human Rights and Pathways to Afghanistan's Stability"

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Watch the conference on the GFA Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHhmemqigFzuy-HNeqzZDKg

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"What we learn watching successive generations of terrorist is that with each iteration they get more radicalized, more desensitized to human rights, more violent towards the most innocent, and they seek higher death tolls. The risk is too great to ignore in Afghanistan. History should not be repeated." - Ahmad Zia Seraj, the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan’s Director General of the National Directorate of Security (NDS) from September 2019 until August 2021. 

Click the icon to download Zia Seraj's report on Afghanistan

Please think about making a donation to
Global Friends of Afghanistan- help us make a real difference

For donations with bank cards, bank transfers and other methods please click the donate button below
 

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Donate with PayPal
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Scan the QR code on your phone or device to make an easy donation. You can also click here.
 

For check donations mail:
Global Friends of Afghanistan
2503-D North Harrison Street,
#1002, Arlington, VA 22207
United States 

 

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Attention

Afghan Women: “I Don’t Feel Safe.”
A Global Friends of Afghanistan survey
May 2022

Click the icon to download the report

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What We Do

Founded in 2021, Global Friends of Afghanistan has been working hard to help Afghans in need by engaging with Afghans, policymakers and the media.

 

We are creating long-term solutions to help Afghans to stay engaged with the global community. 

We are educating North America and Europe on Afghanistan.

Our work is dedicated to educating the world about Afghanistan while sharing and amplifying Afghan voices. 

We share values with Afghans now targeted by the Taliban. We want to safeguard them and to help the world learn about the challenges they face. 

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Connecting Afghans with the world

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How We Help

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Education and Growth

Through education and awareness-building we aim to ensure continued humanitarian, development, and educational support (and more) to the people of Afghanistan. 

Access to education is a human right. Women and certain ethnic groups are being denied the right to help build a better economy and society in Afghanistan.

We will continue to advocate for the safe passage and resettlement of all qualified Afghans and the evacuation of all non-Afghans seeking to leave Afghanistan.

Safeguarding shared values

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Our goals are to try and safeguard the most vulnerable of Afghan society. We also want to work with a new generation of Afghans, veterans, and civilians from around the world to plan for a better future.

We are a citizen effort to help government and global humanitarian efforts to focus on Afghanistan.

 

The international community put 20 years of focused attention on helping the war-ravaged country to become a valued member on the world stage. We want to preserve gains that were made together. 

Current Activities

1.) We are keeping Afghanistan and the plight of Afghans on the minds of policymakers, the press, the wider media, and the general public. 

2.) We are partners with citizen-led, government, and humanitarian efforts like Welcome.US and #AfghanEvac.

3.) We are fighting for human rights and safeguarding Afghans around the world. 

4.) We are expanding the global conversation about issues in Afghanistan and are helping amplify Afghan voices. 

5.) We continue to advocate for safe passage and resettlement of all qualified Afghans and the evacuation of all non-Afghans seeking to leave Afghanistan.  

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Contact Us

Global Friends of Afghanistan

2503-D North Harrison Street,

#1002,

Arlington, VA 22207

United States of America

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Connecting Afghans with the world

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