After Taliban takeover, Afghan girls return to school in Herat province
Seemingly oblivious to the turmoil that has engulfed the country in the past two weeks, the students scurried down corridors and chatted in courtyards as the school opened its doors.
FollowHerat (Afghanistan): Amidst global concern over women rights in the worn-torn and their future looking bleak, a relieving sight of girls wearing white hijabs and black tunics crammed into classrooms in the western Afghan city of Herat just days after the Taliban's takeover was out.
Seemingly oblivious to the turmoil that has engulfed the country in the past two weeks, the students scurried down corridors and chatted in courtyards as the school opened its doors.
The scenes -- which many feared would be banned under the Taliban -- were filmed by an AFP cameraman this week, just days after Taliban terrorists took the city following the collapse of government forces and local militia.
"We want to progress like other countries," AFP quoted student Roqia. "And we hope the Taliban will maintain security. We don't want war, we want peace in our country."
The ancient Silk Road city of Herat has long been a cosmopolitan exception to more conservative centres due to its close proximity to the Iranian border.
In a city famed for its poetry and arts, women and girls walked more freely in the streets, attending schools and colleges in huge numbers.
However, the city’s long-term future remains uncertain.
Women and girls were mostly denied education and employment under the hardliner version of Sharia law that the Taliban imposed when they controlled Afghanistan in the 1990s.
Full face coverings were mandatory in public, and women could not leave home without a male companion.
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