The Independent reports the stories of five Afghani women who took on the Taliban and lost:
Religious fundamentalists are waging a ruthless campaign to eliminate women who have taken up high-profile jobs. Parliamentarians, schoolteachers, civil servants, security officials and women journalists have been selected for attacks by the jihadists. Countless others have been maimed and murdered in villages where the vengeful Taliban have returned to impose the old order.
[…]Now, with the Taliban mounting audacious attacks just on the outskirts of Kabul and President Karzai’s government engaged in negotiations with the Taliban and other Islamist groups, women who have the means to get away are planning possible escape routes. Foreign embassies report an increase in visa applications from educated, professional women.
Read the full article at Alternet.