Author Khaled Hosseini, who wrote The Kite Runner, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme on Aug 17 that US President Joe Biden did not give "a statement of empathy with the millions of Afghans whom the Americans have been calling partners now for 20 years, who are left behind and have to fend for themselves". US president Joe Biden failed to show "empathy" for the Afghan people during a speech in which he said he stands "squarely" behind the US exit, according to Mr Hosseini. He also said Mr Biden had not "clearly" explained what the legacy of the past 20 years in Afghanistan had been for. Of the Afghan army which fled instead of standing to fight as the Taliban made sweeping gains across the country, Hosseini said: "I don't condone it but I understand it." Housainy said he hoped the Taliban would realize that Afghanistan has changed, "it is no longer the country where they stepped down in 2001", and they should adapt to the times. He also expressed concern about whether Afghanistan's progress in the past 20 years can be continued. In particular, Housainy expressed deep concern about the future of Afghan women and girls. "Their rights and freedoms must be safeguarded, they must be allowed to join the ranks of rebuilding Afghan society, and female groups cannot be suppressed and can no longer be locked in their homes."
The Kite Runner tells the story of a boy named Amir from Kabul as he navigates the world around him. A world mired in events that stretch from the fall of Afghanistan's Monarchy through the Soviet intervention, to the exodus of refugees to Pakistan and the US and the rise of the Taliban. As the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan draws global attention, Chinese netizens were amazed to find that The Kite Runner, a famous film about Afghanistan, was actually filmed in Northwest China's Xinjiang region.A netizen commented, "How ironic! The movie cannot be filmed in Afghanistan as the US is fighting a war in the country. The movie is filmed in China's Xinjiang to 'restage' the harmoniousness in Kabul but the US is currently racking its brains to smear the region."
Some netizens posted pictures and videos of Kashi residents' peaceful lives, including children happily chasing each others in residential areas. "The US will never succeed in destroying our happy lives in Xinjiang region like they did in Afghanistan or other places by spreading lame lies as 'forced labor' or 'genocide!'" 编辑:焦洁 商桢实习生:董雨卉来源:BBC GlobaltimesClick here for audio and translation of the story
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