Afghan Woman Runs To Kabul

By Wednesday, Nilofar Ayoubi knew his name was on the Taliban list. He heard this from a friend – the same friend who had told him that the Taliban were going door to door on Sunday to try to find women like him, the same friend who had warned him that it was time. hiding. The women on the list were journalists, politicians, pilots, businessmen – all they had was talking about the rights of Afghan women loudly and continuously, on the internet and the IRL, for years.

Ayoubi is one of thousands of women who have made a living in Afghanistan over the past two decades, but with the fall of Kabul, their success and openness have hindered them. Although the United States has long championed the rights of Afghan women it would be a cornerstone In any peace alliance with the Taliban, that promise is far from over. As Taliban insists on their writings in the capital, Ayoubi and other women’s rights activists were left to fend for themselves.

Earlier in the day, Aug. 18, Ayoubi, 28, smuggled fashion girls to their homes from all over the city by car. It would have been ideal for these women to travel with their male and female coworkers, who were now working as security guards.

For Ayoubi, one of the first and youngest women in Afghanistan to build her own furniture company, the bad reputation was relentless; his group of friends and fellow freedom fighters were constantly at odds with the place where the Taliban had set up a check. Seventy-two hours after Kabul’s fall, he said, he received word that his house and offices had been raided four times by armed men who asked staff and neighbors about his family and belongings.

At first, Ayoubi did not want to give up everything he had built up – his thriving business, his home, his family. But a few days ago, she was determined to take her three children to safety, away from the Taliban.

“He’s everywhere,” he told BuzzFeed News. “They learned about us from television and television, especially those of us who spoke out about terrorism at peace talks in Doha.”

Ayoubi insisted on speaking on the notes despite his life-threatening condition. He says: “I have said enough time to be part of the relief team, so talking now will not change anything. “I want to let the world know what’s going on here.”

A few weeks ago, before the Taliban took over Kabul, Ayoubi was on the roof of his house, singing with his neighbors, writing #AfghanLivesMatter. At the time, he was quoted by the French newspaper Le Monde as saying: “If the Taliban come to Kabul, they will burn down everything we have built in 20 years. My three children and maybe some clothes. “

Since the fall of the capital, women like Ayoubi have been left stranded to find a way to deal with their families. Some of her friends are from Afghanistan. But women on the Taliban roster are walking on ropes where a single drop could mean death. When the Taliban worked in Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001, women and girls were banned from education and forced to wear burqa outside their homes. They could not work at all, or even leave the house without a male supervisor. Punishment for breaking these laws was punishable by public whipping.

The document has been circulated via social networking sites and social networking sites for people who want to know how to get out of the country. The author, who said he works as an advisor to the local government and asked not to be identified because of the implications of the case, said the document included public information on visas and security advice and trips. received from diplomats and other people in the country.

“People can offer tips, and I’ll verify their accuracy before I post,” the author told BuzzFeed News. “This information is widely available, but hidden. Access to information is a major barrier.”

But the document, which BuzzFeed News saw, also shows a clear picture of how it looks to address the political, operational, and personal problems of the Afghan people just trying to get to Kabul’s international airport.

The letter stated: “You must bring a small amount, not the animals.” “Only a small purse (such as a purse) is allowed, and this has a place limit – there have been times when the place is like that. hard no handbag raised. “

Getting to the airport is not easy. The document advises people to arrive at Hamid Karzai International Airport before arriving at the Taliban before 9pm – but since the exit staff is on duty 24/7, the scheduled departure time may be reduced. So far, the document states, there are no flights from Afghanistan from anywhere other than Kabul.

“The US government has confirmed that it cannot guarantee that you are going to the airport: you have to prepare yourself,” it said.

Entering the airport requires showing some of the paperwork that people usually store on their phone, so the document indicates that people print these important files and carry an external phone charger. “Your Airport Access Pass is your way of saving,” the document states.

However, it warns that some of the information it provides may not be reliable, especially the list of names and organizations that provide humanitarian assistance.

The author wrote: “I have written some of the following, but I cannot 100% verify that these works are true,” he wrote. “I do not recommend relying on these beneficiaries for the most vulnerable Afghan people: remember that anyone can set up these services and use them to hide your data, including the Taliban.”

Ayoubi said he did not know when to flee.

By Friday, he was hiding in a low-income area with his children, mother, relatives, and friends as his company’s “loyal employees” guarded the door and brought them food, he said. In the past, the men have worked for Ayoubi at Niko Design, a clothing store that sells decorated living room furniture, children’s beds, straw chairs, and clothing made from the Ayoubi brand – Maria Clothing, Maria Bride, and Maria Carpet. Afghan hand-woven ships around the world. Now, it is his final defense against the Taliban.

Ayoubi’s days are in short supply on Twitter to make changes, go online, search for the latest information on the safest way out of the country, and then cut off the internet and think about our “limited chance of survival,” he said. At the moment, he cannot prepare for much of the future, he said, but hopes to eventually leave Afghanistan.

“This is very different from the life that my children and I had,” Ayoubi said. “I made my life from scratch, and now we’re back to where I was in the first place.” ●