Kabul: The war between the Taliban and Afghanistan is still going on. But it is having the biggest impact on the common people. Zahra, an Afghan woman, said she grew up in a Taliban-free Afghanistan, where girls were free to study and women dreamed of working. Over the past five years, she has worked with NGOs to promote awareness of women and emphasize gender equality, but her dreams and mission were shattered on Thursday evening when the Taliban entered the city of Herat and raised their white flags declaring their occupation of the area.
Zahra, who lives with her parents and five siblings, says, “We were so scared seeing all this that now we are afraid to even step out of the house. With the rising rise of the Taliban, we are now beginning to wonder why we studied so much and dreamed of the future when we have to stay indoors to hide.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) says about 250,000 Afghans have fled their homes since the end of May. Only out of fear that the Taliban will re-enforce its strict and unjust rules of Islam. Eighty percent of these migrants are women and children.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday urged the terrorist organization to immediately stop the invasion of Afghanistan and negotiate in good faith to prevent a prolonged civil war. Speaking to reporters in New York, Antonio Guterres expressed concern about serious human rights restrictions by the Taliban targeting women and journalists. He said the United Nations was monitoring the situation and was particularly concerned about the outbreak of fighting in urban areas.
Reprimanded for sandals
According to a report, some people going on a tractor in the northern Takhar province of Kabul were stopped by the Taliban, and the girls sitting on it were reprimanded for wearing sandals. A state teacher said that now the situation has become such that no one is allowed to go to the market or out of there without men.
‘Had to quit my job’
Zahra said that about a month ago, she had left her office in Herat because of the Taliban and was working from her home. But now the Taliban have spread so much terror in the city that they are unable to work from home. Tears welled up in Zahra’s eyes as soon as she said this. She said that now she feels that she will never be able to return to her work. Her 12-year-old sister will never be able to read, her brother will never be able to play football, and she herself will never be able to play her favorite guitar.
