Evacuees embark a U.S. Air Force aircraft at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Aug. 24.
Photographer: Master Sgt. Donald R. Allen/U.S. Air Force/AP Photos
It’s Much Harder for Fleeing Afghans to Reach Europe Than Six Years Ago
European leaders fear a wave of refugees escaping the Taliban, but they’re more likely to stay in Central Asia.
In 2015, Turkey became a kind of human superhighway for refugees fleeing to Europe from Syria and elsewhere, a migration of at least 1.3 million people that had a seismic impact on the politics of the European Union. Many of the bloc’s leaders now fear a repeat, yet it is far more difficult for desperate Afghans to reach Europe than six years ago.
New concrete, metal and razor wire walls, together with drone surveillance, beefed up border patrols and catch-and-return policies have made the route to Europe more difficult, dangerous and costly.