America Strong: Composer gives free music lessons to Afghan teen struggling with PTSD

After making a harrowing escape from Afghanistan, a teen's love for music has become the compass for his healing.

This report is a part of "America Strong," an ABC News series highlighting stories of strength and resiliency across the nation.

Just three days before his first day of high school, Mustafa Aria made a harrowing escape from Afghanistan after he and his family were trapped in Kabul for several days when the Taliban seized the capital city.

The 13-year-old Afghan American, who migrated to the United States with his immediate family in 2017 and lives in Virginia, was with his parents and three siblings in Afghanistan in late August to visit their relatives when turmoil in the war-torn country took a turn for the worst. The family fled with just the clothes on their backs.

Mustafa, an aspiring musician, left everything behind including his harmonium, the first instrument he learned how to play. He had brought it with him to Afghanistan, but because the Taliban is known for banning music, he did not want to put his family's lives at risk. The last time the militant group ruled the country, in the 1990s, playing musical instruments was strictly forbidden.