26 students, professor arrive in Sulaimani from Kabul

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The American University of Iraq, Sulaimani (AUIS) has welcomed a number of students and a professor from the American University of Afghanistan (AUAF) to continue their studies following the Taliban takeover of their home country, a source from AUIS told Rudaw English on Monday.

The group of 26 students and a professor, which includes 3 males, has arrived in Sulaimani, according to the source who preferred to remain anonymous. 

AUIS official told Rudaw English they would not comment on the matter. 

Rudaw English reached out to Safeen Dizayee, head of the Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) Department of Foreign Relations, who refused to comment.

More than 100,000 people have been evacuated from Afghanistan since the Taliban swept across the country ahead of the US withdrawal, according to the Pentagon. The group seized control of the capital, Kabul, on August 15, with thousands fleeing to the airport in hope of escaping the country. 

Students, relatives and staff members of AUAF on Sunday boarded buses in a final attempt to flee on US military evacuation flights but were sent home after seven hours of waiting, the New York Times reported.

Women and those who have worked with international forces and diplomatic missions are deemed particularly vulnerable to reprisals from the Taliban, who brutally ruled the country from 1996 until 2001. 

AUIS was established in 2007, describing itself as a non-profit university that offers liberal arts education, an unprecedented system for the Kurdistan Region and Iraq. The university offers 12 undergraduate programs, and one master’s program.

AUIS and the AUAF are associate members of the Association of American International Colleges and Universities (AAIC). 

One of the first sites the Taliban captured was the American University campus in Afghanistan, according to the New York Times. The campus closed its doors on August 14, a day before the Taliban takeover.

“Men in traditional Afghan outfits and swinging AK-47 rifles raised the flag of the Taliban and brought down the university flag,” the outlet quoted students and social media posts as saying.

The militia group attacked the campus in 2016, killing 15 people, including seven students, in a 10-hour assault.