In Taliban-Ruled Afghanistan, One Woman Refuses a Life of Dependence Copyright © 2026 IPS-Inter Press Service. All rights reserved. -

The author is an Afghanistan-based female journalist, trained with Finnish support before the Taliban take-over. Her identity is withheld for security reasons https://www.ipsnews.net/2026/08/in-taliban-ruled-afghanistan-one-woman-refuses-a-life-of-dependence/ KABUL, Aug 7 2026 (IPS) - The Taliban’s rise to power robbed Mehrmaa of her husband, her job and her chance to live freely. It was a cold, snowy night in March 2022 when Mehrmaa’s neighbors brought her husband’s lifeless body home. He had disappeared more than seven months earlier. Mehrmaa had barely managed to cope with the new restrictions imposed on women by the Taliban, and now she felt as if the weight of the world was on her shoulders. Copyright © 2026 IPS-Inter Press Service. All rights reserved. -