How a Bloomberg reporter’s family escaped the Taliban

Annmarie Hordern of Bloomberg News writes about how colleague Fraidoon Poya got his family out of Afghanistan.

Hordern writes, “I was sitting at my desk in Washington, struggling to find words to describe on television what the world was witnessing, when I received a call from a friend and colleague in London, Anastasia Ellis. I heard it in her voice; she was upset. A new hire, Fraidoon Poya, was an Afghan journalist who’d been granted asylum in the UK. His family was still in Afghanistan, and he was terrified for what their life would become under Taliban rule. He wanted to get them out.

“Anastasia and I had collaborated on projects and stories in Europe and the Middle East while I was based in London, and she thought my new posting in Washington could help. The US government was struggling just to get Americans out, never mind Afghans, but I promised I’d make a few calls. Somehow that led me to a mission in Central Asia.

“A few weeks of calls made it clear that Fraidoon’s family was at risk, particularly because of his work as a journalist, and that foreign governments weren’t in a position to help. Working with Eduardo Jany, a former US Special Operations officer who was then working at Bloomberg, and with the support of Bloomberg LP and its owner, Michael Bloomberg, we formulated a plan to evacuate the family.”

Read more here.