Uncertainty looms for Afghan women despite Taliban outreach

By ZEINA KARAM and AYA BATRAWY
Associated Press

Many women in Afghanistan remain at home because they are too terrified to venture into a new world ruled by the Taliban. The extremist group that once stoned women and restricted their every move is now back in power. In Afghanistan’s third-largest city, Herat, girls joined boys in returning to school on Tuesday, but Taliban fighters handed out hijabs at the door. Days after taking over the country, the Taliban are promising to respect women’s rights. But some Afghan women are deeply distrustful of the Islamic militants. In the capital Kabul, a female news anchor interviewed a Taliban official in a TV studio — a sight once thought unimaginable.