The Taliban's Kabul through the eyes of a teenage girl

14-year-old Huda's life in Afghanistan was turned upside down a year ago and hasn't been the same since

Huda is far from the only teenager to complain that too many people are telling her what to do, or "ruining her life". But in her case, it's not hyperbole.

Aged 14, Huda is a child of Afghanistan's republic, born seven years after the US invaded her country, overthrew the Taliban government and set up a parliamentary democracy that it promised would be the dawn of a new era for Afghans. Like most other young girls in Kabul, she went to school, developed a diverse group of friends and maintained a vibrant social life.

A year ago, the Taliban took back control over Afghanistan, and Huda's life as she once knew it was over.

From the day they took power, on August 15 last year, the Taliban sent women home from work and from school, and began to institute austere requirements for dress and social interactions. That day, Huda went outside and for the first time came face-to-face with men she had only ever heard about in scary stories. She immediately returned home and didn't leave her house for more than a month.

Huda's parents have struggled with helping their three daughters adapt to the new reality.

"I worry all the time about Huda getting depression and we always try to find ways to make sure it doesn't happen," her mother Najmussama says. "I try to comfort her by telling her the Taliban are not so bad."

But to Huda, who, as a teenage girl has been prohibited by the Taliban from going to school for an entire year, it is difficult to see a bright side.

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  This combination of photos shows women posing for portraits in different cities in Afghanistan. Since their takeover two years ago, the Taliban have squeezed Afghan women out of public life, imposing suffocating restrictions on where they can work, how they can travel and what they can wear. All photos by AFP

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  TOLOnews TV anchor Tahmina Usmani, 23, is one of a handful of female journalists who have been able to continue working in the sector. 'I was able to join TOLOnews and be the voice for women in Afghanistan, which makes me feel great,' she says.

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  TV journalist and university student Farkhunda Muhibi, 21. Muhibi is one of a small number of female journalists who have been able to continue working under the Taliban regime.

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  Baker Shapari, 40, poses for a portrait in Kandahar. 'During these hard times, it is my job that has made me happy,' she says. 'My husband is jobless, and staying at home. I am able to find food for my children.'

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  Businesswoman and beekeeper Ghuncha Gul Karimi, 35, poses for a portrait in Herat. Karimi expanded her beekeeping business to produce honey for sale after her husband left the country. 'I've taken up two extra jobs and bought a motorcycle to drive myself from the honey farm and back,' she says. 'I am determined to become the queen of honey bees.'

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  Artist and art teacher Manezha Sultani, 24, poses for a portrait in Herat. 'Before the Taliban took over, I had no fear - I used to attend exhibitions, go to events and see everything I desired. But when the takeover happened, I was afraid of how it would impact my job and my rights,' she says. 'I have not had any good experiences since the Taliban took over.'

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  Mathematics and robotics teacher Sumaya Sultani, 27, poses for a portrait in Herat. 'Before the collapse, I participated in international technology events, and I used to work late nights on various projects and coach the Afghan girls’ robotics team. But after the Taliban takeover, everything we worked for and achieved turned to dust.'

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  Doctor and mental health counsellor Mursal, 35, poses for a portrait at an undisclosed location in Afghanistan. Since their takeover a year ago, the Taliban have squeezed Afghan women out of public life, imposing suffocating restrictions on where they can work, how they can travel and what they can wear.

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  Silk weaver Maryam Osmani, 50, poses for a portrait in Herat.

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  Afghanistan Women’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry director Nargis Hashimi, 27, poses for a portrait in Herat.

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  Radio journalist and artist Rozina Sherzad, 19, poses for a portrait in Kandahar.

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  Taekwondo athlete Zarghunna Noori, 23, poses for a portrait in Herat.

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  Student Mahtab Jamshidi, 17, poses for a portrait in Herat.

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  Seamstress Rozia Khpalwak, 23, poses for a portrait in Kandahar.

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  Shampoo factory worker Robina, 40, poses for a portrait in Kandahar. There is hardly a woman in the country who has not lost a male relative in successive wars, while many of their husbands, fathers, sons and brothers have also lost their jobs or seen their income shattered as a result of a deepening economic crisis.

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  The deputy director of the women’s bazaar in Herat, Freshta Ishaqzai, 32.

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  Shaima Wafa, 40, a cultural affairs reporter for an Iranian media outlet, poses for a portrait in Herat.

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  Knitter and garment maker Gul Guti, 55, poses for a portrait in Kandahar.

In an effort to keep her active, her parents have enrolled her in private religious classes where she also learns Arabic, and in the evenings she studies English over Zoom with a tutor in the US.

Even this continued intellectual stimulation, however, can only do so much to fill the void. Huda hasn't seen most of her friends since last year. Many have left the country with their families. Those who remain in Kabul are normally prohibited by their parents from leaving the house, out of fear of what might happen under the Taliban government.

Huda's family have often discussed sending the children to live abroad to complete their studies, but they worry about the costs and consequences. For Najmussama, one of Kabul's most skilled gynaecologists, leaving Afghanistan means abandoning her patients at a time when they have never been more in need.

But Huda dreams of the day she will be able to leave, and to live a normal teenage girl's life, even if it is far from home. In Kabul, her hopes are fading by the day.