LOS ANGELES — Sitting at the edge of his seat, Afghan American Mohammad Fata anxiously watched his television screen as President Joe Biden gave updates on the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan.

Fata fled Afghanistan as a refugee and arrived in the U.S. in 1985 — but has many direct family members in Kabul who he worries for as the Taliban claims the city.

“My brother’s wife, everyone is in Afghanistan, and they are suffering,” said Fata.

The suffering and desperation among Afghans is evident in videos surfacing from the airport, where masses of people are trying to catch evacuation flights.

Fata said the equal participation of Afghanistan’s vast ethnic groups is the key to seeing the country prosper peacefully.

"The only way, whether it is the Taliban or the government, is if they respect all ethnic groups in Afghanistan," he said.

Fata and his wife are of the Hazara ethnic group, one of the most oppressed and persecuted communities in Afghanistan. As he shared a cup of tea with his wife, Fata worried especially for the well-being of women, as the threat of radical Sharia Law in Kabul becomes a returning reality.

“The women to wear a cover that covers the hands, the face, everything. What kind of freedom for women is that?”

Freedom is precisely what Fata dreams of. As he checked on his brother abroad, Fata said religious tolerance is key for the country to survive. He and his family are Shiite Muslims and have been persecuted because of it.

Fata believes the golden rule in Afghanistan should be as follows: “To have a rule where everybody is free to worship whatever religion they want.”