For years, Soraya operated a sports club for women in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan. When the Islamic fundamentalist Taliban returned to power twenty years after their ouster in 2001, she knew that her club was doomed.
“By 11am we had to say our goodbyes to our students,” she told The Guardian. “We didn’t know when we would see each other again.”
Following the U.S.-led invasion that toppled the original regime in November 2001, the Taliban regrouped and began taking back territory less than ten years after their ouster. By August 2021, the Taliban had seized most major cities, emboldened by President Joe Biden’s decision to withdraw the remaining U.