"I Was Lucky": Afghan Pop Star Breaks Down, Recounts Kabul Escape

Afghanistan pop star Aryana Sayeed, who fled from Kabul after her country was taken over by the Taliban, said she is "heartbroken" to see the condition of all those left behind and "disappointed because Afghanistan has been let down by the world."

On the crisis and human tragedy unfolding in Afghanistan, Ms Sayeed, 36, said, "I am upset, sad and disappointed over how Afghanistan has been left alone, and let down by the world. My heart goes out to the millions of innocent people inside Afghanistan who have nowhere to go."

Ms Sayeed, a household name in Afghanistan because of her music and celebrity status, escaped Kabul on a US military plane and is in Los Angeles in the US right now.

She left the country on August 15 when Taliban entered the capital Kabul, after a series of provincial capitals fell in rapid succession in Afghanistan and the nation's president, Ashraf Ghani, fled abroad. Thousands of people mobbed the Kabul airport trying to flee the Taliban's feared hardline brand of Islamist rule.

Describing the scenes at the Kabul airport, Ms Sayeed said, "The day I had the flight out of Kabul, the Taliban were already all over the place. It was horrifying to see thousands rush to the airport... There was absolute chaos at the airport. Children were crying, people piled on top of each other. There was no space, no air to breathe. It was heartbreaking."

Horrifying scenes have played out at Kabul's international airport, with reports of at least eight people killed till now. Many people tried to forcibly enter planes leaving the country while several others were seen trying to scale the walls and squeeze through barbed wires.

As Ms Sayeed was reaching the gates to board the plane, she said a woman approached her and handed her baby to her. "She was screaming and crying and she gave me the baby, as I was about to go inside, asking me to take the baby with me."

"But I thought how can I separate a baby from its mother? I asked the soldier if we can take both of them with us. But, unfortunately, the soldiers could not," she said, crying and adding that she had to hand the baby back to its mother.

"I was lucky... one of the lucky ones with a UK passport who could get out," she added.

From Kabul, Ms Sayeed reached Qatar from where she continued to Turkey where she resides full time with her husband Hasib Sayed, an Afghan music producer.

On the future of women under the Taliban rule, the singer said, "I do not believe the Taliban. I am sure they will go back to reality and who they are. I hope the world can hold them accountable for what they are saying, In the hands of Taliban, there will be no future for Afghan women."

The Taliban has been known for running a brutal form of Islamist government when they ruled between 1996 and 2001 -- confining women to home, forbidding entertainment and publicly beating and executing prisoners. Women were also required to wear the all-enveloping burqa cloak in public. Many Afghans fear a repeat of the brutal interpretation of the Islamic law.

A Taliban spokesman on Tuesday said women Afghan government workers should stay home until security conditions in the country improve.

"I hope we can get some king of solution for Afghanistan, I hope the world wakes up and helps Afghanistan... I hope women do not get shot in the head, like they used to (under the previous Taliban regime)," Ms Sayeed said. "I am worried about the women who will be stuck inside their houses."

On India's relations with her country, the pop star said "India is the only true friend of Afghanistan."

"India is completely opposite to Pakistan for us. Pakistan is trying to spread terrorism in Afghan while India is helping bring peace, harmony and love," she added.

India has so far evacuated over 800 people amid a deteriorating security situation in Kabul and scramble by various nations to rescue their citizens.

"I will continue to ask the world to help the millions of people and will continue to fight for my people," the singer said.

"I believe in the power of humanity, the power and strength of women of Afghanistan... They will survive it again but they have to fight for their freedom," an emotional Ms Sayeed said as she folded her hands in a "Namaste."