Afghanistan: Chester doctor fears for future of family

Dr Waheed fled Afghanistan in 1999, arriving in the UK aged 15

An NHS doctor who fled Afghanistan 20 years ago says he fears for the future of his family who are stranded in his home country.

Dr Waheed described the situation as "terrifying" after only two family members managed to escape.

His father and seven sisters are still living in the Afghan capital Kabul, which is now under Taliban control.

Dr Waheed, from Chester, said his family were "extremely anxious about what the future holds".

"Actually what happened over the past few days shows how fragile the security is," he told BBC Breakfast.

"It brought back the horrific memories of the civil war of the 90s, which I lived myself.

"That was a street-by-street fight because of which we had to overstep dead bodies, dodge bullets and rockets and then hide in cellars for most of the time."

Dr Waheed, who arrived in the UK as a refugee aged 15, said that "people remember those times and really don't want the country to go in that direction".

• US ends two-decade presence in Afghanistan

• Former Afghan refugees fear for loved ones at home

• Taliban are back - what next for Afghanistan?

US forces withdrew from Afghanistan on Monday, ending their 20-year presence, while British troops also left over the weekend.

Dr Waheed has called on the British government to support mental health services to help those in need.

"When I came to the UK aged 15 as a child refugee, I came here with scars of conflict in the form of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)," he said.

"Many of these refugees when they come in they will have really complex mental health issues."

Dr Waheed went on to study at Cambridge, Imperial and Harvard universities before becoming an NHS emergency doctor.

Since then, he has launched a charity which connects doctors in Afghanistan and other conflicted areas to specialists around the world.

"The main thing I brought was hope for safety and a dream to become a doctor," he said.

"Many people when they are coming in are bringing in their dreams, they want to do something with their life and would like to contribute."

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