Full Taliban Interview with Turkish News Agency

INTERNATIONAL   |  DOHA  -  Afghans who fled their country this week have spoken of their despair at leaving loved ones behind and an uncertain future following the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan.

"It is very difficult to leave my country," a veiled woman told Reuters in Doha, Qatar. "I love my country."

He explained that before the Taliban arrived, he never expected to go anywhere.

The woman said she fled with her husband, a dentist, and their three children, fearing her work with international humanitarian organizations would make them a target for the Taliban.

He described the traumatic scene at Kabul airport as thousands of people clamored to board evacuation flights.

At one point, he recalls, a man standing next to him was shot in the leg by "military men". But Reuters was unable to independently verify the claims. "It was just shocking and I didn't know what to do."

The woman is one of several hundred refugees temporarily housed in a housing complex in Doha. The Qatari government is hosting thousands of refugees until they can enter a third country.

One man at the compound said he did not expect the Taliban to keep their promises, including respect for women's rights and amnesty for those working in government or with foreigners.

"What is most disturbing is that there is not much hope for the future," said the man who arrived in Doha with his wife, three children, parents and two sisters.

The man who works as a lawyer said he was afraid to stay in Afghanistan and become a target for the Taliban, because part of his work was related to international companies.

"This is going to be a very, very different and challenging life ahead of us," he said.

The Afghans who spoke to Reuters in Doha all requested anonymity out of concern for family members still in Afghanistan. "It's not easy because they're not safe," the man said.

"There's a lot of hope in me to help them out of there and sometimes you really see yourself as completely helpless."

Another man, a sophomore law student, spoke of looting by the Taliban when they took control of Kabul. He said he had seen armed insurgents intimidate people on their way to the airport.

Evacuated to Qatar with his sister, he doesn't know how he can complete his studies. He left his wife, whom he married in a video call before being evacuated.

"Our thoughts are back home because our family stayed behind. My wife was there. My parents were there, my brothers and sisters. I just wish they were evacuated... in case that didn't happen and something went wrong I think I want to come back."