Abbas fought the Taliban alongside US and Australian troops. Now exiled in Iran, he feels abandoned

What Happened

An Afghan former special forces soldier, identified only by the pseudonym Abbas, told the Guardian that he served 12 years in the Afghan National Army, including alongside Australian troops on two helicopter-borne missions in Khas Uruzgan district in late 2011, and was wounded by two gunshots in Laghman district before being evacuated by US helicopter to Bagram hospital. Abbas said he fled to Iran after Kabul fell to the Taliban, destroying most documents for fear of Taliban reprisal. In Iran, he said he has no legal status, faces exploitation by landlords, takes dangerous illegal work, and still receives threats from Taliban groups; he also said US bombing of Tehran forced his family to flee to the countryside.

Key Actors

Why It Matters

The story illustrates the strategic and humanitarian fallout of the US withdrawal: Afghan allies who fought with Western forces are now hunted by the Taliban and blocked from resettlement, while Iran—itself facing US strikes—hosts vulnerable ex-servicemen with no legal protection. It undercuts US credibility with local partners and adds pressure on regional states where Afghan ex-security personnel may be deported into Taliban-controlled Afghanistan.

Watch For

Monitor whether the Trump administration resumes or further extends the Afghan resettlement halt; whether the Qatar camp population is moved or returned; any Iranian deportation actions against Afghan former soldiers; Taliban cross-border targeting inside Iran; and changes in US-Iran hostilities affecting Afghan refugee communities in Iran.