NEWS

Athens’s Afghans run from Taleban

Among the thousands of Afghans fleeing their country these days are many who will join their compatriots who have been living in difficult conditions in Athens after a long, hazardous journey through Iran and Turkey that sometimes lasts several months. Of the estimated 150,000 Afghan refugees in Europe, about 1,000 are living officially in Greece – their true number is thought to be much larger – under conditions that are wretched but at the same time preferable to living under the theocratic regime of the Taleban militia in Afghanistan. Many of them are living in makeshift shelters at the Pedion tou Areos park in central Athens. They live in cardboard boxes and use park taps for their personal hygiene. Often they are sent scurrying by the police. But they want to pursue their dream for a better life, to learn Greek, and to get a job.

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