Caroline Gutman

Photographer

The Washington Post: He took his wife and kids to Afghanistan one last time. Now he can't get them out.

Focus: Photographer, Photojournalist, Journalist, Writer, Researcher, Reporter, Politics, Travel, Environment, History, Photo Assistant, Documentary, News, Video, Photography, Domestic, Foreign, Portraiture, Stock, Lifestyle, Conceptual, Culture, Foreign Desk, Arts & Culture, Journalist Investigative, Freelance, Civil Rights and Social Inequality, Humanitarian, Assignments, Commercial, Entrepreneur, Fellow, Consultant, International, Creative Professional, Editorial, Photo Shoots, Editing, Storyteller, Visual Artist, Climate, Digital Journalism, Photo Coordinator, Feature Stories, Environmental Stories, International Stories, National Park stories, Still Photographer, US Politics, Portrait Photography, Reportage

Clients: The Guardian, The New York Times The Washington Post

PHILADELPHIA, USA - AUGUST 22: ...Gutman for The Washington Post)

PHILADELPHIA, USA - AUGUST 22: Mohammad Sadeed talks on the phone while sitting with friends outside his home in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on Sunday, August 22, 2021. (Photo by Caroline Gutman for The Washington Post)

PHILADELPHIA, USA - AUGUST 22: Fahim Sekandari helps Mohammad Sadeed use a garden stake as a flag carrier, outside Sadeed's home in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on Sunday, August 22, 2021. The Afghan flag was displayed at the Stand with Philly's Afghan Community. (Photo by Caroline Gutman for The Washington Post)

PHILADELPHIA, USA - AUGUST 22: Mohammad Sadeed's children's toys, outside their home in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on Sunday, August 22, 2021. (Photo by Caroline Gutman for The Washington Post)

PHILADELPHIA, USA - AUGUST 22: Mohammad Sadeed eats lunch with Sabour Khalil at Sadeed’s home in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on Sunday, August 22, 2021. Sadeed is hosting the Khalil family who recently arrived from Afghanistan. (Photo by Caroline Gutman for The Washington Post)

PHILADELPHIA, USA - AUGUST 22: Light can be seen from Mohammad Sadeed's children's bedroom, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on Sunday, August 22, 2021. (Photo by Caroline Gutman for The Washington Post)

PHILADELPHIA, USA - AUGUST 22: Mohammad Sadeed prays inside his home in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on Sunday, August 22, 2021. (Photo by Caroline Gutman for The Washington Post)

PHILADELPHIA, USA - AUGUST 22: Mohammad Sadeed looks at his phone while sitting with friends outside his home in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on Sunday, August 22, 2021. (Photo by Caroline Gutman for The Washington Post)

PHILADELPHIA, USA - AUGUST 22: Mohammad Sadeed talks to the Khalil family in his home in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on Sunday, August 22, 2021. Sadeed is hosting the Khalil family who recently arrived from Afghanistan. (Photo by Caroline Gutman for The Washington Post)

PHILADELPHIA, USA - AUGUST 22: Mohammad Sadeed's youngest child's crib, in his bedroom in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on Sunday, August 22, 2021. (Photo by Caroline Gutman for The Washington Post)

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The Washington Post: He took his wife and kids to Afghanistan one last time. Now he can't get them out.

Copyright Caroline Gutman 2025

Date of Work Aug 2021 - Aug 2021

Updated Aug 2021

Location Philadelphia, PA

Topics Community, Conflict, Documentary, Editorial, Essays, Ethnic minorities, Fear, Human Rights, Immigration, Media, Minority, Oppression, Photography, Photojournalism, Politics, Violence, War, War and its effects, World

Mohammad Sadeed, 40, who worked at the U.S. embassy in Afghanistan before his family settled in Philadelphia two years ago, now spends his evenings on the phone trying to get his wife and five children out of Afghanistan. In July, Mohammad and his family flew back one more time to visit his ailing mother; he returned to work in Philadelphia while they stayed a bit longer. And then Kabul fell.â£
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Reporting by William Wan: “The hardest calls for Mohammad came late at night — early morning in Afghanistan — when there was enough Internet bandwidth for his family to video-chat with him from their basement hideout. The night before, his youngest son had begged for Mohammad to save them.â£
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“Why can’t you just buy a plane to bring us home? When will you buy this plane for us?” the 4-year-old had asked.”
Reporting by William Wan: “The hardest calls for Mohammad came late at night — early morning in Afghanistan — when there was enough Internet bandwidth for his family to video-chat with him from their basement hideout. The night before, his youngest son had begged for Mohammad to save them.â£
â£
“Why can’t you just buy a plane to bring us home? When will you buy this plane for us?” the 4-year-old had asked.”â£

He took his wife and kids to Afghanistan one last time. Now he canâÂ€Â™t get them out.
Mohammad Sadeed is back in Philadelphia, but his wife and five children are trapped in Kabul, where the Afghan immigrants could be deemed traitors by the Taliban.
Washingtonpost.com

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Caroline Gutman

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