In 2021, the Taliban regained power in Afghanistan, nearly 20 years after their ouster by U.S. troops. The tyrannical government now reinforces Islamic law, stripping away the rights of minorities—especially women.

“Afghans are caught between Taliban oppression and the specter of oppression,” Human Rights Watch’s Associate Director Patricia Gossman said. “Over the past two decades, governments involved in Afghanistan should provide humanitarian and fun basic services, including health and education, while using their leverage to press for an end to Taliban rights violations’. ‘

Women are barred from attending school, or even venturing out in public without a male chaperone. Equally sickening, many young girls are forced to get married

All of this deeply upsets me. As a woman, it is disturbing (to say the least) that if I lived in Afghanistan, I would be considered less than a second-class citizen.

The United Nations estimates that most Afghans could be impoverished by this year,  due to the nation’s disastrous economic state. All this is compounded by Taliban leadership, which threatens regional and international security by supporting terrorist groups.

“The Taliban maintain close ties with al-Qaeda,” according to the Council on Foreign Relations. “Analysts are concerned that the Taliban could provide it with safe haven and allow it to launch international terrorist attacks from Afghan soil.

Worse still, after nearly two decades, President Joe Biden recently ended America’s military presence in the region.

Fortunately, like the United States, many other countries have cut diplomatic and economic ties with the Taliban, curbing its resources and ability to carry out harm.

The Council on Foreign Relations states that only 13.4% of Afghans currently support the Taliban, and I’m not holding out for a top Taliban spokesman, who reports that the group is not ruling out holding election.

I hold more faith in opposition groups like the National Resistance Front, which currently lacks sufficient strength to threaten the Taliban’s hold. Also causing difficulty in holding the Taliban accountable, the group attacks and intimidate journalists.

From the other side of the globe, I feel frustrated because I want to help. To do what I can, I donate to trusted charitable organizations like World Food Program, Children of Persia, and UNICEF. I urge you do to the same. Every donation matters.