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Afghan migrant makes waves despite being born without arms
Abbas Karimi, a 23-year-old Afghan refugee born without arms is showing the world that determination and perseverance does pay off as he proudly prepares for next year’s Paralympic swimming events in Tokyo.
Speaking to 7News Miami, Karimi described his arduous journey growing up disabled in war-torn Afghanistan, through to being a migrant that fled overland until being settled in the US under the United Nations’ refugee program.
Despite having no arms, Karimi is a swimmer and trains with his coach and mentor Marty Hendrick in Fort Lauderdale six days a week.
Karimi said: “My father used to say, ‘God took your arms from you, but instead, he gives you the talent and skill in your legs and your feet.’”
“Everything was very challenging to do with my feet and learn everything,” Karimi told 7News Miami.
Karimi said his journey to get to this place in his life – as a swimmer training for the 2021 Paralympic games in Japan – has been filled with pain and perseverance.
A victim of bullying back home in Afghanistan, he said he did find something that soothed him – swimming – but eventually, he made the difficult decision to leave home.
“It’s tough to leave your family, your father, your mother at the very young age of 16, but I wanted to get out of that world.”
He first went to Iran before his brother helped smuggle him across the border into neighboring Turkey.
Abbas lived in Turkey as a refugee before being settled in the United States under the United Nations’ refugee program.
Once in the US he first lived and trained in Portland, but moved earlier this year to South Florida where he lives and trains with Hendrick.
“It feels right to be here because I found the right coach,” he said.
Hendrick in turn says he is extremely proud of Karimi and that he trains really hard.
“I feel completely blessed that I have this kid at home,” Hendrick said.
Karimi and Hendrick will travel next summer to Tokyo for the 2021 Paralympic Games, where the swimmer is set to compete in several events.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan announced on Tuesday the release of American citizen Dennis Coyle from prison.
According to the ministry, Coyle’s mother had written to the leader of the Islamic Emirate demanding amnesty and the release of her son on the occasion of Eid. The Supreme Court considered time served sufficient and decided to release him.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that this action was carried out on the basis of humanitarianism and good faith, and it believes that such measures can strengthen trust between countries. The ministry also expressed hope that both countries, in the future, can find solutions to remaining issues through mutual understanding and constructive dialogue.
The Islamic Emirate also expressed appreciation for the cooperation of the United Arab Emirates in this matter.
Separately, for Coyle’s release, an American delegation, including Zalmay Khalilzad, former U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan, met on Tuesday with Amir Khan Muttaqi, the Foreign Minister of the Islamic Emirate.
The meeting was also attended by Saif Mohammed Al-Ketbi, Ambassador of the UAE in Kabul, and a member of the prisoner’s family.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Muttaqi stated that the Islamic Emirate has not detained any citizen of any country to achieve political objectives; rather, detentions were the result of legal violations, and individuals were released after completing judicial procedures.
At the meeting, Khalilzad praised the action of the Islamic Emirate and emphasized the importance of continuing discussions on all issues between the two countries, expressing hope for further progress in the future.
Muttaqi also stressed that Kabul and the UAE should provide standard consular services to their citizens, and that the Afghan government is fully prepared in this regard.
He thanked Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, for their constructive role in facilitating the release of the prisoner and referred to the UAE as a close friend of Afghanistan.
Earlier, Muttaqi had also praised the role of the State of Qatar in facilitating information exchange between the Islamic Emirate and the prisoner’s family.
Additionally, the UAE ambassador expressed his country’s readiness to play a role in humanitarian institutions and called such developments beneficial for everyone.
The United Kingdom has announced an additional £3 million (AFN 257 million) in humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan, aimed at supporting people affected by natural disasters and other shocks.
Richard Lindsay, in a post on X, said the funding will be used to provide essential nutrition supplies and related support to vulnerable populations.
The new allocation brings the UK’s total bilateral assistance to Afghanistan for the current financial year to £154 million (AFN 13.18 billion).
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