Thousands flee homes

Tens of thousands of Afghans have fled their homes, with many fearing a return to the Taliban’s oppressive rule. The group had previously governed Afghanistan under a harsh version of Islamic law in which women were forbidden to work or attend school, and could not leave their homes without a male relative accompanying them.

Salima Mazari, one of the few female district governors in the country, said she has never even considered surrendering. “There will be no place for women,” said Mazari, who governs a district of 36,000 people near Mazar-esharif.

“In the provinces controlled by the Taliban, no women exist there anymore, not even in the cities. They are all imprisoned in their homes,” she added.

The withdrawal of foreign troops and the swift collapse of Afghanistan’s own forces despite hundreds of billions of dollars in US aid over the years has raised fears the Taliban could return to power or that the country could be shattered by factional fighting, as it was after the Soviet withdrawal in 1989.

It’s also prompted many

American and Afghan veterans of the conflict to question whether two decades of blood and treasure was worth it.

Afghans have been streaming into Kabul’s international airport in recent days, desperate to fly out, even as more American troops have arrived to help partially evacuate the US embassy.

The first Marines from a contingent of 3,000 arrived on Friday. The rest are expected by Sunday. The US Air Force has carried out strikes to aid its Afghan allies but they appear to have done little to stem the Taliban’s advance. A B-52 bomber and other warplanes traversed the country’s airspace on Saturday, flight-tracking data showed.