Afghanistan Archives

Struggling to survive: Afghan journalist describes harrowing escape

"During the days that I lived under the dark shadow of the Taliban, I felt like a bird in a cage. Like a bird with wings, but no permission to fly," Afghan journalist Zahra Joya…

by Zahra JoyaSep 15, 2021

Dispatches From Afghanistan: 'The Humiliation I Experienced Just to Escape the Taliban'

Get trampled or crawl through sewage? An Afghan woman describes the "humiliating" conditions fleeing Afghans faced while trying to escape Afghanistan after the Taliban took over.

by Zahra NaderSep 13, 2021

This story was published in partnership with Rukhshana Media and The Fuller Project.

Dispatches From Afghanistan: 'The Day the Taliban Reached Kabul, it Turned into a Ghost City'

Afghan journalist Maryam Nabavi describes feelings of hope and despair after Kabul fell to the Taliban.

by Maryam NabaviSep 13, 2021

This story was published in partnership with Rukhshana Media and The Fuller Project.

Dispatches From Afghanistan: 'The Taliban’s Return Was the Death of Dreams'

After two weeks of living under Taliban control, a youth activist decides it’s time to for her to leave Afghanistan. “This is not what our people deserve,” says Hosnia Mohseni, 30.

by Hosnia MohseniSep 13, 2021

This story was published in partnership with Rukhshana Media and The Fuller Project.

Dispatches from Afghanistan: 'The Taliban Came and Killed My Spirit!'

A school teacher in central Afghanistan laments the loss of educational opportunities for girls and women since the Taliban took control.

by Zahra NaderSep 13, 2021

This story was published in partnership with Rukhshana Media and The Fuller Project.

‘I Wish We Had Died Rather Than Live Through That Day’: Dispatches From the Women of Afghanistan

Ordinary Afghan women share firsthand accounts on what life is like in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan.

by Zahra NaderSep 8, 2021

This series was published in partnership with Rukhshana Media and The Fuller Project.

‘They Left Us to the Taliban’

Six Afghan women describe their feelings of fear, anger, and betrayal in the wake of America’s departure.

by Zahra NaderSep 3, 2021

This story was published in partnership with Foreign Policy and The Fuller Project.

What Afghanistan’s women stand to lose

For the past 20 years, Afghan women were told to chase their dreams. But within days of the Taliban takeover, Afghan women are mourning their working lives and freedom.

by Amie Ferris-Rotman, Zahra NaderAug 20, 2021

As the Taliban Resurges in Afghanistan, Girls Are Already Losing Schools

Girls’ education—once a signature achievement of U.S. involvement in Afghanistan—is increasingly under threat as the Taliban tightens its grip.

by Atefa Alizada, Amie Ferris-RotmanJul 7, 2021

Published in partnership with TIME and Rukhshana Media.

‘They Came to Kill the Mothers.’ After a Devastating Attack on a Kabul Maternity Ward, Afghan Women Face Increased Dangers

An attack on a Kabul maternity ward comes at a time when the future of women’s health efforts in Afghanistan is already complicated.

by Sophia JonesMay 19, 2020

This article was originally published in TIME.

In Afghanistan, Climate Change Complicates Future Prospects for Peace

Afghanistan is one of the most vulnerable countries in the world to climate change, and one of the least equipped to handle what’s to come.

by Sophia JonesFeb 3, 2020

This article was originally published in National Geographic.

America Never Gave Afghan Women a Chance

Washington failed at the most promising path toward stability in Afghanistan: keeping the country’s women alive.

by Sophia Jones, Christina AsquithJan 31, 2019

This article was originally published in Foreign Policy.

A Look Inside the First All-Female TV News Station in Afghanistan

Afghanistan's first-ever all-female TV news station there runs a lot like any station in the U.S., with one big exception: These journalists are risking their lives.

by Sophia JonesDec 11, 2018

This article was originally published in Glamour.

In Afghanistan, Where Breast Cancer is a Death Sentence, Women Fight to Save Lives

A pair of sisters fight to save women in Afghanistan's only oncology ward.

by Sophia JonesNov 16, 2018

This article was originally published in ELLE.

Dangers of Being an Afghan Woman in Uniform

Inside the expensive and complicated NATO campaign to get more women into the Afghan security forces, and keep them alive.

by Sophia JonesOct 5, 2018

This article was originally published in The New York Times Magazine.

The Dangers of Forcing Gender Equality in Afghanistan

The idea of supporting measures that expand gender equality seems like an easy call. But, as one Afghan woman's story shows, bolstering the ranks of women in security forces in a country like Afghanistan is…

by Sophia JonesNov 21, 2017

This article was originally published in The New York Times.

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