Former HSU Student Nabbed in Afghanistan
Foreign aide worker Cyd Mizell was abducted, along with her driver, as she left her home for work in the Afghanistan city of Kandahar. The former HSU student becomes the 28th foreigner kidnapped in Afghanistan this year, in a political climate that is increasingly unstable and dangerous; even for non-combatants.
A recent image of Cyd Mizell in traditional burqa
“It doesn’t surprise me that she would be in a place like Afghanistan,� says Karen Taylor, Cyd’s roommate when the two attended Hardin-Simmons University in the late 1970’s, “working to help others, even in the midst of war, danger, and chaos; a place where it’s dangerous simply to exist as a woman, much less be there as an American woman trying to help other women and girls.� Taylor remembers Mizell as being in the same “pod� of friends while at HSU, “She was (and I’m sure still is) a vibrant, warm, smart, funny young woman. She participated in a number of organizations on campus, including Sigma Alpha Iota and Chorale. I never recall seeing Cyd without that smile on her face, like the one in the CNN picture, and all of the yearbook pictures. She is a happy, positive, sincere person, with a heart as big as Texas.�
Cydney Mizell works for Asian rural Life Development Foundation and teaches English and embroidery lessons at a girl’s school as an income-generating project for women. Although 23 South Koreans, two Germans, and two Italian journalists were kidnapped this year, abductions of Americans are extremely rare. Jeff Palmer, the aid group’s international director, said the group had not been contacted by the kidnappers and that he did not know their identity or demands.
Cydney Mizell as the 1978 Sophomore "Favorite."
Asadullah Khalid, the provincial governor, blamed the kidnappings on the “enemy of Islam and the enemy of Afghanistan.� He said the 49-year-old American was wearing a traditional burqa when she was seized. A professor at Kandahar University, Mohammad Gul, said Mizell speaks the local language, Pashtu, well and did not travel with armed guards, “She is a very patient and calm woman. She was always thinking about Afghanistan’s future.�
Cydney's 1978 HSU yearbook photo
The Asian Rural Life Development Foundation runs food-for-work, irrigation rehabilitation, health care, and restoration projects around Kandahar, according to the group’s web site. The group also has projects in Vietnam, China, Myanmar, and Sri Lanka. Palmer appealed for her return saying, “It is our hope that our worker will be released safely and quickly and we are doing all that we can to resolve the situation. This is a first for our organization and we’re really praying for a quick resolution.�
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