Selling Kabul tells the story of Taroon, an Afghan man who previously served as an interpreter for the US Army. As the US begins to withdraw from Afghanistan, so does Taroon’s protection from the increasingly powerful Taliban. As he awaits his Special Immigrant Visa, his son is born, and he must choose between risking his life to meet his child or staying in hiding until the US delivers the safety it promised.
Many Afghan interpreters for the US still await their Special immigrant Visas now that America has withdrawn from Afghanistan. Some, however, received their Visas and now live here in Chicago, running local businesses that give back to the Afghan community.
- Shams Frough, pictured at his store Kapisa Rugs in Evanston, once served as a translator for the US military. He moved to the United States from Afghanistan in 2014, and now helps new refugees get traditional rugs for their homes. Read more.
- Heray Spice co-founder Mohammad Salehi joined the U.S. Army as a military linguist. He came to the United States on a special immigrant visa and started his company to support local Afghanistan farmers by importing their saffron and paying them fair-trade value for their spices. Read more.
Inspired by stories like these, Selling Kabul zooms in on one family, depicting not the politics of war or public policy, but the very personal and human toll on a man and his family just trying to get by.
