WEST DES MOINES, Iowa —

After four years of uncertainty and danger while trying to escape terror and get into the United States, the Zaki family has found safety in Iowa, and a community eager to help them start again.

The Zakis are Afghan refugees. They arrived on U.S. soil this spring after obtaining a special immigrant visa, which grants residency to Afghan nationals who assisted U.S. forces during wartime.

Shahamat Zaki is the eldest son living in the U.S. He's 20 and the family’s primary translator, but he was just 16 when the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021.

He recalls how quickly life changed saying, “When the Taliban came back, I can literally say we went back 20 years."

He added that under the Taliban's rule, being a woman is hard, noting that girls can only

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