Nobel Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai on Tuesday wrote "I fear for my Afghan sisters" in an op-ed published in The New York Times in the wake of the Taliban's stunning takeover.
It capped a staggeringly fast rout of the country's major cities in just 10 days, following two decades of war that claimed hundreds of thousands of lives. The recent takeover has triggered fears of renewed oppression, in particular towards women and girls. "After graduating from college last year and starting to carve out my own career path, I cannot imagine losing it all -- going back to a life defined for me by men with guns," she continued.
On Tuesday a Taliban spokesman indicated the militants would not make the full burqa -- a one-piece overgarment that covers the entire head and body -- compulsory, and sought to dismiss concerns that women would be barred from education.