Afghan women soldiers fear the Taliban's return to politics

A wave of violence against female journalists and human rights activists is rocking Afghanistan. As the government seems unable to protect them from attacks, many are hoping for support from the international community.

As the United States prepares to withdraw all US troops from Afghanistan, Afghan women fear the return of the Taliban which could see the end of female education. Also as attempts are to made to revive the Iran nuclear deal, our correspondent in Tehran reports on how crippling US sanctions are impacting Iranian women's rights. Plus how the Belgian city of Liege is taking a tough stand on street harassment with those found guilty, facing the risk of a year in jail.

US analysts have raised concerns that the Taliban would return to its harsh treatment of women if it regains power in Afghanistan when NATO troops leave.

Women activists visit injured Afghan security forces in a Herat hospital. The Taliban control large swathes of the countryside and are now challenging Afghan government forces in several large cities, including Herat, near the western border with Iran, and Kandahar in the south.

As the Taliban make rapid gains in Afghanistan, women in the country are concerned about their future. An Afghan women's rights activist told DW her life may be in danger if the Islamist militants attack Kabul.

As captain of Afghanistan's wheelchair basketball team and a women's rights activist, Nilofar Bayat fled for her life when the Taliban took over, seeking safety in Spain where she hopes to soon be back on the court.

Afghan women: An uncertain future under Taliban rule

Since the Taliban took over power, their decrees and crackdowns have shown how the Islamic fundamentalist regime wants to repress the rights of women and girls.

Since the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan, women's rights have been quashed. Women are being told what to wear, what to study and being segregated from men at universities. After a violent crackdown on female protesters, a demonstration has taken place in Kabul by women deemed supportive of the Taliban's ultra-hardline interpretation of Islam. Images of that rally have sparked considerable reaction on social media. FRANCE 24's Haxie Meyers-Belkin tells us more.

While the Taliban have said only that female students must observe hijab, without giving more details, women dressed in black robes at a pro-Taliban rally in Kabul September 11 raised fears that the Islamist group will reintroduce mandatory wearing of head-to-toe garments. This week we spoke to two Afghan women who told us more about the Taliban's dress code – and the women who are fighting against it in the streets and online with the hashtag #DoNotTouchMyClothes.

"The fact that the women are so disliked by these men is beyond belief, I don't understand why," says Afghan women's rights activist and CEO of Afghan Women's Network Mahbouba Seraj. "We should sit down and have a conversation."