Iowa’s newest refugee family has left the state after just ten days here. The family arrived in central Iowa September 7th from Afghanistan, the same nation now in the crosshairs for a possible American military strike. Laura Keegan, volunteer coordinator for Catholic Charities in Des Moines, tried to help them settle in. Keegan says one family member, a 16-year-old boy, said the U-S -should- go ahead with it’s retaliatory attack.He hopes the U-S can capture Kabul, which is where his family used to live, as the people who remain would have a better life if the ruling Taliban is overthrown. The Afghans have relatives who’ve lived near Sacramento, California, for several years, so they’ve moved there. Keegan says several other refugee families -had- been planning to settle in Iowa over the next few weeks but their status — and futures — are all on hold. Keegan isn’t even sure where they are — perhaps in Europe.Keegan says the Afghans were “very afraid to leave their house for fear of harassment simply because of where they’re from in the world.”
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