NPR's Scott Simon reflects on two years since the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan, including the recent burning of musical instruments and equipment.
Ride a bike. Learn the guitar. Continue studying. All of this came to a violent end for 16-year-old Marzia Mohammadi. Her diary lays bare the struggles of Afghan girls since the Taliban takeover.
Male anchors in Afghanistan are wearing masks on air in solidarity with their female colleagues. This is the latest Taliban order to threaten the freedoms and careers of Afghan women.
From the moment Saleema Rehman was born, her father believed she was destined to be a doctor. Now she is the winner of a top U.N. award for her work helping displaced women in Pakistan.
The head of Save the Children in Afghanistan says it has been difficult to operate under the Taliban and their restrictions on women. Without humanitarian aid, he predicts serious casualties ahead.
Kabul's interim mayor did not give an exact number on just how many female employees would be forced to stay home because of the new rule. Previously about a third of city employees were women.
Risking beatings by the Taliban, Afghan women have taken to the streets to protest against the hard-line regime, its new curbs on their rights — and Pakistan's influence in their country.
President Biden addressed the nation after images from the airport in the Afghan capital showed desperate people fleeing before the Taliban advance. He said he stands by his decision to withdraw.
"Whatever happens in the coming days, we hold true to the idea that women can and should help shape the future of Afghanistan," said one nonprofit, as alarm rises about the Taliban takeover.
At the championship of the Afghan women's soccer league, players sprint across the field. Hoodie-style hijabs cover their hair. The scene was once unthinkable. But now the players face new obstacles.
