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‘We are doomed’: Four days after her father died, the Taliban demanded she marry their leader
By Shahab Ariayi, translated into English by Rustam Seerat.
This narrative was told to reporter Shahab Ariayi by Tamana*:
I had just successfully passed the mid-year exam. My teachers had informed me that I had received excellent grades and retained my top rank. On August 1, 2021, the head teacher came to my class and asked us to each contribute 50 afghani for the graduation ceremony’s expenses as well as the Independence Day celebration, which would occur on the same day: August 19.
But that day would be unlike previous ones. Gunfire echoed throughout the city. I hadn’t even considered the possibility of our province falling to the Taliban. However, some of our friends from areas already under Taliban control had warned of the group’s violent behaviour.
My father, who had a heart condition, became seriously ill upon hearing the noises. He had retired three years earlier from his military position as a general. My life’s darkest period began that night: due to the roads being controlled by the Taliban, my father died before he could reach the hospital. My brother called our mother with the news: “We are doomed; our backbone is broken.” She dropped the phone, screaming, “We…
