ニューヨーク・タイムズさんのインスタグラム写真 - (ニューヨーク・タイムズInstagram)「Thousands of Afghans have taken the long, dangerous route through the Darién Gap, trekking more than 16,000 miles in hopes of reaching the American border. For countless Afghans, the frenetic days of the U.S. withdrawal were only the beginning of a long, harrowing search for safety. To escape the Taliban and their country’s economic collapse in the last 17 months, more than 3,600 Afghans have taken this unfathomable route — a trek through the sliver of land connecting North and South America — since the beginning of 2022, according to tallies in Panama, which is one of the most perilous sections of their journey to the U.S. border. They have trudged through the jungle, slept on the forest floor amid fire ants and snakes, and hid their money in their food to fool thieves. Many of these Afghans had partnered with the West for years — lawyers, human rights advocates, members of the Afghan government or security forces. They packed up their children, parents or entire families, sold their apartments and borrowed enormous sums to pay for the passage, convinced there was nothing left for them back home. To make the trip, the Afghans wend through about a dozen countries, for months or longer. Nearly all are robbed or extorted; some are kidnapped or jailed. Others are fought over by rival smugglers or sent back to countries they already passed through. Parents and children are divided by the authorities. Babies have been born along the way. The New York Times’s Andes bureau chief, @fotojulie, and the photographer @historiassencillas traveled with a group of 54 Afghans through the notorious Darién Gap, one of the hardest parts of the journey, and interviewed nearly 100 people making the trek. Many spoke English, had entwined their lives with the Western mission in Afghanistan and hoped that, as American allies, they would be received at the border with open arms. Tap the link in our bio to travel through the jungle with the Afghan migrants.」5月24日 2時01分