Skip to main content
CNN.com /transcript

CNN TV

EDITIONS
SERVICES
CNN TV
EDITIONS

CNN LIVE EVENT/SPECIAL

America's New War: Afghanistan's Refugee Camps

Aired September 25, 2001 - 05:26   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: Just over Chris' shoulder, it gives you an idea of the rugged terrain in Afghanistan and areas of Pakistan. And consider this then: one million Afghan refugees are now on the run, hiding out in deserts just like the one behind Chris' shoulder. And thousands more are joining them as fear of a U.S. attack is sending people off into the desert looking for food and shelter.

Reporter Sid Ackbar takes us to a refugee camp to show you what it's like.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SID ACKBAR, CNN STUDENT BUREAU: We're traveling along the Afghanistan border in Pakistan. I'm on my way to volunteer at an Afghani refugee camp, not really knowing what to expect.

This is Jalozai, home to 300,000 people who have left Afghanistan to escape the internal fighting. Families live in makeshift tents in the intense desert heat.

There are many difficulties, he said. I had a home in Afghanistan, but there is so much war that you have to take sides.

Some of the children have never lived anywhere else. This woman sits in her tent spinning cotton, carrying on her traditions.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): When you ask them why they are here, the common response is war. Everyone is fighting Afghanistan. Even though I was born there, I had to leave, because of war.

This is a tribal leader, who led his 300 families from Afghanistan instead of aligning with the Taliban.

There is no running water. The water for drinking must be brought in by truck. There is not enough for bathing. This is their toilet, nothing more than a hole in the ground. This is a kitchen.

After working two weeks in Jalozai, I left to work at another camp called Shamshatoo. It's older than I am. It was opened 23 years ago when Afghan refugees began pouring into Pakistan when the Soviets invaded their country. Instead of tents, these refugees built homes out of clay. They also have something I did not see in other camps. This is Abdulbecca (ph) school, the center of hope for young refugees. The teacher is also a refugee. He says it's sometimes difficult to convince parents that their children need an education. Notice: there are no girls allowed in this class.

This boy is 13 years old, yet he's only in the second grade. He says he wants to become a doctor.

Along with reading and writing, there are classes on their religion -- Islam. Here, these boys learn how to pray to Allah.

For more than two decades, millions of Afghan people left their homeland to escape war and to wait for peace. Yet the prospects of war have only increased. The camps near the border will get even more residents in the days ahead as more families seek refuge.

Sid Ackbar, CNN, Student Bureau.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.

 Search   


Back to the top