From Hope to Flight: DI President Marks 25 Years Since 9/11 With Urgent Afghanistan Appeal

Ambassador Ashraf Haidari calls for refugee protection, renewed peacebuilding, and international action to prevent Afghanistan from again becoming a sanctuary for terrorism.

By Staff Writer

WASHINGTON, September 11, 2026 — Marking the 25th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks, Ambassador Ashraf Haidari, President and Founder of Displaced International (DI), has called on the international community to confront the unresolved crisis in Afghanistan that continues to uproot its people and threaten international security.

In recorded remarks, Ambassador Haidari connects Afghanistan’s long history of forced displacement with the state failure and extremist violence that preceded 9/11. Long before the attacks, millions of Afghans had fled invasion, proxy conflict, civil war, economic collapse, and Taliban rule. As Afghanistan’s institutions collapsed, al-Qaeda found the sanctuary from which it planned violence far beyond the country’s borders.

Ambassador Haidari emphasizes that the Afghan people were not responsible for 9/11. They were among the earliest and longest-suffering victims of the same extremist forces behind the attacks.

Following the international intervention in 2001, improved security and renewed hope encouraged nearly six million Afghan refugees to return home. Their return demonstrated that people do not become refugees by choice—and that many will willingly return when they believe they can live safely, freely, and with dignity.

But as the Taliban insurgency intensified, terrorism and insecurity regained ground, state institutions weakened, and international forces began withdrawing, Afghans started fleeing once again. That movement accelerated before and after the Taliban’s forcible takeover in August 2021.

Today, Afghans continue to face persecution, poverty, exclusion, and the systematic denial of fundamental rights—especially the rights of women and girls. At the same time, nearly 5.9 million Afghans have returned from neighboring countries since 2023, many under pressure and with inadequate protection or assistance.

“The contrast could not be clearer. After 2001, millions returned because they had hope. Today, millions are returning because their refuge is disappearing,” said Ambassador Haidari.

His remarks urge governments and international institutions to protect Afghan refugees, uphold the principle of non-refoulement, prevent Afghanistan from again becoming a sanctuary for terrorism, and support an inclusive, Afghan-owned and United Nations-supported political process.

The remarks reinforce DI’s central message: the world does not simply have a refugee problem—it has a failure-of-peace problem. Sustainable solutions to displacement require addressing the conflict, repression, institutional collapse, and insecurity that force people to leave their homes.

Read DI’s full statement below:

Full Text of Ambassador Haidari’s Remarks

Twenty-five years ago, 2,977 innocent people were killed in the September 11 terrorist attacks. Today, we remember them. We stand with their families, the survivors, and the first responders.

But to understand the full meaning of September 11, we must also remember what was already happening in Afghanistan.

Long before the attacks, millions of Afghans had been driven from their homes by invasion, proxy conflict, civil war, extremist rule, state failure, and economic collapse. Afghanistan had become one of the world’s largest refugee-producing countries. It had also become a sanctuary from which al-Qaeda could plan violence far beyond Afghanistan’s borders.

The Afghan people were not responsible for September 11. They were among the earliest and longest-suffering victims of the forces behind it.

I know this personally, as an Afghan who has experienced displacement—and as a diplomat who has seen what happens when terrorism takes root and peace is allowed to fail.

After 2001, something remarkable happened. As security improved and hope returned, nearly six million Afghan refugees went home. They returned because they believed a different future was possible for themselves, their children, and their country.

That historic return carried a powerful message: people do not become refugees by choice. When they feel safe, free, and hopeful, many choose to return home and rebuild.

But as the Taliban insurgency intensified, terrorism and insecurity again took root, Afghanistan’s institutions weakened, and international forces began withdrawing, Afghans started fleeing again. That movement accelerated before and after the Taliban’s takeover in August 2021.

Today, Afghans continue to flee persecution, exclusion, poverty, and the denial of fundamental rights, especially the rights of women and girls. At the same time, nearly 5.9 million Afghans have returned from neighboring countries since 2023, many under pressure and with little support.

The contrast could not be clearer. After 2001, millions returned because they had hope. Today, millions are returning because their refuge is disappearing.

This is why the world does not simply have a refugee problem. It has a failure-of-peace problem.

Our appeal is urgent: protect Afghan refugees and uphold non-refoulement. Prevent Afghanistan from again becoming a sanctuary for terrorism. And advance an inclusive, Afghan-owned and United Nations-supported political process that addresses the conditions forcing Afghans from their homes.

Twenty-five years later, remembrance must become responsibility, and responsibility must lead to peace.

Afghanistan must never again become a place from which terrorism threatens the world—or a place its own people must flee simply to survive.