Afghan MPs, in exile, pledge to work for women’s rights

Female politicians forced to flee following the Taliban takeover arrive in Greece as they plan to relocate to the West.

Athens, Greece – When Taliban fighters ransacked Shagufa Noorzai’s home on August 29, she was not there.

The member of parliament from Helmand province had gone into hiding following the fall of Kabul to the Taliban on August 15, as US and NATO troops were withdrawing from the country after 20 years of war.

“I was in a washroom without a window for 15 days,” she told Al Jazeera. “Even my family didn’t know where I was … The Taliban told my father, ‘tell her to come out of hiding and we will work with her’.”