Angelina Jolie took to Instagram to offer a moving message and bring attention to the situation in Afghanistan.

The actor and philanthropist took to the platform on Friday to share a photo of a handwritten letter from a young girl in Afghanistan. She said that she was posting the message on Instagram since Afghans are having difficulty using the app.

“Right now, the people of Afghanistan are losing their ability to communicate on social media and to express themselves freely,” Jolie said in the caption of the photo.

“So I’ve come on Instagram to share their stories and the voices of those across the globe who are fighting for their basic human rights.”

 

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Afghanistan is in chaos after the Taliban staged a takeover during the last phases of the US military’s pullout last week. Human rights campaigners and humanitarians, notably Malala Yousafzai, have raised alarm over the country’s treatment of women, minorities, and human rights defenders.

‘It is sickening to watch Afghans being displaced yet again out of the fear and uncertainty that has gripped their country,’ the Oscar-winner wrote. “To spend so much time and money, to have blood shed and lives lost only to come to this, is a failure almost impossible to understand.”

Jolie then went on to talk about her personal experiences and ties with Afghanistan, recalling meeting Afghan refugees at the border only two weeks before the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, who had fled the nation due to the Taliban.

“I was on the border of Afghanistan two weeks before 9/11, where I met Afghan refugees who had fled the Taliban. This was twenty years ago. It is sickening to watch Afghans being displaced yet again out of the fear and uncertainty that has gripped their country,” she wrote.

She continued, “Watching for decades how Afghan refugees – some of the most capable people in the world – are treated like a burden is also sickening. Knowing that if they had the tools and respect, how much they would do for themselves. And meeting so many women and girls who not only wanted an education, but fought for it.”

Jolie gained over 2.7 million Instagram followers after joining the platform on Friday. She has 7.5 million followers as of August 23.

Because of the Taliban’s backward regulations concerning women and girls, the author of the handwritten letter voiced concern about returning to school. According to reports, women have been ordered home from their professions and colleges in Taliban-controlled cities.

“We all had rights, we was [sic] able to defend our rights freely, but when they come, we are all afraid of them, and we think all our dreams are gone. We think our rights have been violated we can not get out,” the letter reads.

Before asking others to join her, the mother-of-six finished the message by emphasizing her commitment to assisting individuals seeking protection from the Taliban, who reclaimed control of the nation following the withdrawal of American forces.

‘Like others who are committed, I will not turn away. I will continue to look for ways to help. And I hope you’ll join me.’