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Fear began to emerge when US-led foreign troops would leave Afghanistan at the end of August and the Taliban seized large swathes of territory quickly.
Also read: Taliban War in Afghanistan: Bombs Fall Every Minute, Bodies on the Streets
Uncertainty over the state of peace talks between the insurgent group and the government in Kabul is a critical question about the fate of Afghan women’s freedoms and hard-earned rights.
After years of subordination, Afghan women have come to enjoy unprecedented freedom in the years following 2001 when US-led foreign forces toppled the Taliban regime. Prior to that year, the Taliban had imposed severe restrictions on civil liberties, barring women from education and banning most work outside the home.
In the absence of the Taliban, Afghan women have held key positions in various state institutions, run for president, and have served as members of parliament, ministers, and ambassadors. The governing parties are not against basic democratic principles such as gender equality and freedom of expression.
Therefore, the departure of the last remaining foreign troops is a source of considerable anxiety and tension for middle-class citizens and educated women in urban areas of Afghanistan. They fear that a return to Taliban rule will rob them of the freedoms they enjoy today.
“Everyone is scared now. We are all worried about what will happen,” Nargis, 23, manager of the newly opened Aryana clothing store in Kabul, told Arab News which was launched Monday (2/8/2021).
“People have witnessed a dark era of the Taliban. If they come again, of course they will not allow women to work, and I will not be in my place today. ”
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