BAHARIN LEHIB

Kabul- Kapisa is the smallest province of Afghanistan but it is one of the most important provinces of the country because it is known for its natural resources and agricultural products such as grapes, pomegranates and apples. It also has many historical sites, considered one of the old cultural and civilizational centers. The population of the province consists of numerous ethnolinguistic groups: mainly the Pashtun and Tajik. Like other provinces of Afghanistan, its natural resources such as marble, gypsum and emerald have been illegally extracted and processed by the Taliban members.

 The Kapisa province was one of the important French military headquarters during the U.S. and NATO's attack on Afghanistan. Even though it was said that France built a headquarters in the province to protect people and develop the province. In 2014, the headquarters was completely evacuated. In August 2021, the Taliban took control of Afghanistan as U.S. and NATO forces withdrew from the country following two decades of war. Since the Taliban took control of the country, they have imposed restrictions on social, political and cultural activities, especially for women. The brave women of Kapisa never sit down at home by participating in the protests against the Taliban and they keep fighting for their rights and freedoms.

Some hold small and secret meetings to show their reaction to the Taliban’s policies. In addition, some make great efforts to provide informal education to girls and women by forming local networks and support groups. They use art and literature as a means of protest by writing articles, poems and stories reflecting the difficult living conditions of women under the Taliban regime.

‘We are not afraid of repression’

The Taliban use oppression policies and arrests to intimidate and silence Afghan women. “We are not afraid of repression, threats, imprisonment and torture of the Taliban,” the protesting women of Kapisa province said in an interview with NuJINHA. “We will keep resisting. What we are afraid of is that the voices of women would be silenced. We are determined not to bow to the Taliban and believe that we can defeat the Taliban by struggling.”