A Sunshine Coast woman says she is working to secure safe passage for three Afghan siblings who fear for their lives in Kabul.
In the early hours of Monday morning, the Western world woke to the news the Taliban had declared the war in Afghanistan over and harsh rules and punishments were being imposed, especially on women and those it deems its enemies.
Zanette Perinoni once headed the Buddies Refugee Support Group in Buderim and a young Afghan man she once mentored reached out and asked the 71-year-old for help.
Through his family circles he met a young Afghan woman online — a sister with two brothers — and the couple's romance had begun to blossom.
Ms Perinoni said she was exploring all possible paths to safety for the trio, particularly given the woman has a university education.
"Canada, New Zealand - it doesn't really matter, as long as they're safe," she said.
A bleak future
Ms Perinoni said the woman had already been handed a letter saying she was expected to marry a Taliban soldier.
"They're hiding and they're in fear of their lives," she said.
"She will probably be punished because she's adopted and has gone to university."
Kabul has a population of more than four million people and, with so much upheaval, the siblings are not the only ones seeking refuge.
Hundreds, if not thousands, fled to the airport in desperate hope there was a way out, with video footage showing people attempting to climb the stairs of a plane on the tarmac.
The Asylum Seeker Resource Centre has called on the federal government to launch a major resettlement plan, to grant protection visas for those "at risk of violence and death from the Taliban".
It says it would be akin to the one used to resettle 12,000 Syrians at the height of that nation's conflict.
Foreign Minister Marise Payne said yesterday 8,500 Afghani people in total had already come to Australia on humanitarian and protection visas, including 1,800 people in the country who supported Australian operations.
She said since April, 640 of the staff and their families had been granted visas to come to Australia and 400 had already arrived.
Glimmer of hope as clock ticks down
Ms Perinoni said she was now searching for an immigration expert who could advise on the best way for the three to try to enter Australia.
"I can't even imagine what sort of visa it would be," she said.
Adding to the pressure is the knowledge that time is not on her side.
"That's the scary part," Ms Perinoni said.
"If they're already in Kabul, how are they going to get to the airport.
But Ms Perinoni said she was not deterred.
"I don't think anything is impossible," she said.
"I always believe that something will always happen."
