As Taliban robs Afghan women and girls of work, school and safety, the most vulnerable "have nowhere to go"

In a November 2001 weekly radio address to the American people, first lady Laura Bush said American troops had invaded Afghanistan to fight terrorism and rescue Afghan women from the Taliban's oppression and brutality. She called it "a fight for the rights and dignity of women."  

The toppling of the Taliban regime and the ensuing 20 years of war did deliver significant gains for women's rights. But it has taken the Islamic extremists just over a month to erase those hard-won achievements.

The new Taliban regime, which looks remarkably like the one that ruled over the country until it was toppled by the U.S.-led invasion, has closed the government ministry dedicated to women's affairs. It's preventing female students from returning to schools and universities. Female workers in an array of professions have been told to stay home until further notice. Videos show Taliban enforcers flogging women on the streets, in broad daylight, for unknown transgressions.