• A young girl walks through a camp for internally displaced people, administered by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees in northern Afghanistan. Photo: Ruchi Kumar for The National.
    A young girl walks through a camp for internally displaced people, administered by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees in northern Afghanistan. Photo: Ruchi Kumar for The National.
  • An Afghan mother describes her fear that her daughters would be taken away as wives by Taliban militants at a camp for internally displaced people, administered by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees in northern Afghanistan. Photo: Ruchi Kumar for The National.
    An Afghan mother describes her fear that her daughters would be taken away as wives by Taliban militants at a camp for internally displaced people, administered by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees in northern Afghanistan. Photo: Ruchi Kumar for The National.
  • Young girls pass the time at a camp for internally displaced people, administered by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees in northern Afghanistan. Photo: Ruchi Kumar for The National.
    Young girls pass the time at a camp for internally displaced people, administered by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees in northern Afghanistan. Photo: Ruchi Kumar for The National.
  • Jailed Taliban pray inside the Pul-e-Charkhi jail. After a series of delays, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani issued a decree to release 1,500 Taliban prisoners. AP
    Jailed Taliban pray inside the Pul-e-Charkhi jail. After a series of delays, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani issued a decree to release 1,500 Taliban prisoners. AP
  • An internally displaced Afghan girl who fled her home due to fighting between the Taliban and Afghan security personnel, peers from her makeshift tent at a camp on the outskirts of Mazar-e-Sharif, northern Afghanistan. AP Photo
    An internally displaced Afghan girl who fled her home due to fighting between the Taliban and Afghan security personnel, peers from her makeshift tent at a camp on the outskirts of Mazar-e-Sharif, northern Afghanistan. AP Photo

Taliban trying to force Afghan girls as young as 13 into marriage


  • English
  • Arabic

Thirty-nine-year old Gulpari was forced to make some hard decisions when the Taliban was closing in on her village in the north of Afghanistan six weeks ago.

Recalling the terrifying nights her family spent fearing for their lives, she said the Taliban was shooting on the ground, while "from the sky, the government was bombarding our village”.

The Taliban asked to marry our daughters to them. They said if a house had two daughters, at least one should be given in marriage to the Taliban
Gulpari,
39, Afghan mother

Living in makeshift shelters on the outskirts of Mazar-e-Sharif city, Gulpari, a single mother of seven from a village in Jowzjan province described her ordeal.

In the days after the Taliban arrived in her village, the militant group started imposing draconian rules, particularly ones that restrict women’s freedom

“They announced that the women would not be allowed outside without a chadari," she said, referring to a full face veil.

"Soon after, they closed the girls’ school,” Gulpari told The National, adjusting her traditional blue burqa to cover most of her face while she spoke.

Before the war she wore the garment rarely but since moving to the IDP camp she keeps it close by at all times.

  • Afghan women and a boy outside a shop in the old quarter of Kabul.
    Afghan women and a boy outside a shop in the old quarter of Kabul.
  • An Afghan woman in an alley in Kabul's old quarter.
    An Afghan woman in an alley in Kabul's old quarter.
  • A girl uses a hand pump to fill a container with drinking water in Kabul, Afghanistan.
    A girl uses a hand pump to fill a container with drinking water in Kabul, Afghanistan.
  • A young girl in the old quarter of Kabul.
    A young girl in the old quarter of Kabul.
  • Children play football on a dried-up lake bed in Kabul.
    Children play football on a dried-up lake bed in Kabul.
  • An Afghan security official searches a vehicle at a check point in Lashkar Gah, the provincial capital of Helmand province, Afghanistan.
    An Afghan security official searches a vehicle at a check point in Lashkar Gah, the provincial capital of Helmand province, Afghanistan.
  • A security official checks people at a check point in Lashkar Gah, in Helmand province, Afghanistan.
    A security official checks people at a check point in Lashkar Gah, in Helmand province, Afghanistan.
  • Afghan National Army soldiers at a roadside check point in Herat, the provincial capital of Herat province in Afghanistan.
    Afghan National Army soldiers at a roadside check point in Herat, the provincial capital of Herat province in Afghanistan.
  • Afghan soldiers stand guard at a check point in Herat, Afghanistan.
    Afghan soldiers stand guard at a check point in Herat, Afghanistan.

“Most of the clinic and medical facilities were also shut and women were forbidden from visiting even the female doctors and midwives, unless they were accompanied by a mahram,” she said, referring to a male escort, which the Taliban strictly insists upon for all women.

But it was when the Taliban came for her daughters that Gulpari decided to abandon her home of more than 20 years and escape with her children in the dead of night.

“The Taliban asked to marry our daughters to them. They said if a house had two daughters, at least one should be given in marriage to the Taliban,” said Gulpari, who has two daughters aged 13 and 15.

“My girls were terrified when they heard this. They were scared and wouldn’t stop crying till we had fled the district."

Gulpari wasn’t the only woman escaping such a fate.

Many women who shared the compound for displaced families, living in small cramped tents, recounted similar experiences.

“In our district, [the Taliban] also put out an announcement in the mosque so that everyone can voluntarily list their daughters,” said Rabia, an older woman living in the same camp as Gulpari.

“Things had started to worsen since the 20th of Ramadan,” she said, referring to May 1.

“[The Taliban] blew up a police district office in Balkh. Many Afghan forces died in that attack and since then, the Taliban started to control the area, making new rules and even operating their own courts.

"Then they said they will start marrying our girls and women after Eid. We did not wait to find out if they did; we left soon after."

Similar reports of forced marriages by Taliban militants in areas they control have surfaced in the past three months.

Since the start of the year, the Taliban has launched one of its largest offensives to date, seizing control of most rural areas and surrounding major cities.

A statement bearing the militant group’s insignia was shared widely on social media, calling for religious leaders in the captured districts in Badakhshan and Takhar to refer girls older than 15 and widows younger than 45 to the “Mujahideen Cultural Commission”.

“These sisters will be married to the [Taliban fighters] and taken to Waziristan [in Pakistan] to be returned to Islam”, implying that women would be forced to adhere to the insurgents' religious edicts.

While Taliban members have denied accusations of forced marriage, calling them “baseless” and “propaganda”, women activists across the country are reporting such stories.

“Women are being married off as sexual slaves – this would be the term I would use,” said Pashtana Durrani, an education activist from Kandahar province in the south, where she has encountered similar cases.

Her family received threatening letters from the Taliban two weeks ago, said Ms Durrani, who is from Spin Boldak, a town on the border of Pakistan currently under control of the insurgents. But she said she was more furious than afraid.

“This is happening but I am not scared right now. I am furious at the people whose job it was to protect us,” she said, referring to the failure of security forces to stop the Taliban.

“The government is doing nothing and that is enabling the Taliban. Why weren’t they prepared for this?

“Still, there are things the government can do to help the women. Temporary shelters for women escaping these areas, housing for families, groceries, sanitary kits and medical help – these are just some of the things that can set the government apart from the militants.”

People would contribute to these efforts if the Afghan government took the initiative, she said.

Ms Durrani also criticised the silence and lack of solidarity from the international community.

“We were used as business cards," she said. "When they needed us for promoting women’s rights and equality campaigns to justify this war, they were here, but nothing after that. Not one side is sincere in protecting our rights.

“I am not just worried for the Afghan women but I am furious."

She said women were now on their own in this struggle, a view echoed by Gulpari, who said she was willing to fight to protect her daughters.

“If someone gives me a gun today, I will fight them. Our lives have changed and they don’t treat us like humans. We have to fight to get our homes and dignity back,” she said.

Frankenstein in Baghdad
Ahmed Saadawi
​​​​​​​Penguin Press

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: ARDH Collective
Based: Dubai
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Sector: Sustainability
Total funding: Self funded
Number of employees: 4
Abu Dhabi Grand Slam Jiu-Jitsu World Tour Calendar 2018/19

July 29: OTA Gymnasium in Tokyo, Japan

Sep 22-23: LA Convention Centre in Los Angeles, US

Nov 16-18: Carioca Arena Centre in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Feb 7-9: Mubadala Arena in Abu Dhabi, UAE

Mar 9-10: Copper Box Arena in London, UK

MATCH INFO

What: 2006 World Cup quarter-final
When: July 1
Where: Gelsenkirchen Stadium, Gelsenkirchen, Germany

Result:
England 0 Portugal 0
(Portugal win 3-1 on penalties)

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets

Name: Peter Dicce

Title: Assistant dean of students and director of athletics

Favourite sport: soccer

Favourite team: Bayern Munich

Favourite player: Franz Beckenbauer

Favourite activity in Abu Dhabi: scuba diving in the Northern Emirates 

 

How to protect yourself when air quality drops

Install an air filter in your home.

Close your windows and turn on the AC.

Shower or bath after being outside.

Wear a face mask.

Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.

If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.

Farasan Boat: 128km Away from Anchorage

Director: Mowaffaq Alobaid 

Stars: Abdulaziz Almadhi, Mohammed Al Akkasi, Ali Al Suhaibani

Rating: 4/5

The specs: 2017 Ford F-150 Raptor

Price, base / as tested Dh220,000 / Dh320,000

Engine 3.5L V6

Transmission 10-speed automatic

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Fuel economy, combined 14.1L / 100km

Key facilities
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  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
MATCH INFO

Uefa Champioons League semi-final, first leg:

Liverpool 5
Salah (35', 45 1'), Mane (56'), Firmino (61', 68')

Roma 2
Dzeko (81'), Perotti (85' pen)

Second leg: May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome

Mobile phone packages comparison
Desert Warrior

Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley

Director: Rupert Wyatt

Rating: 3/5

A timeline of the Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language
  • 2018: Formal work begins
  • November 2021: First 17 volumes launched 
  • November 2022: Additional 19 volumes released
  • October 2023: Another 31 volumes released
  • November 2024: All 127 volumes completed
How to keep control of your emotions

If your investment decisions are being dictated by emotions such as fear, greed, hope, frustration and boredom, it is time for a rethink, Chris Beauchamp, chief market analyst at online trading platform IG, says.

Greed

Greedy investors trade beyond their means, open more positions than usual or hold on to positions too long to chase an even greater gain. “All too often, they incur a heavy loss and may even wipe out the profit already made.

Tip: Ignore the short-term hype, noise and froth and invest for the long-term plan, based on sound fundamentals.

Fear

The risk of making a loss can cloud decision-making. “This can cause you to close out a position too early, or miss out on a profit by being too afraid to open a trade,” he says.

Tip: Start with a plan, and stick to it. For added security, consider placing stops to reduce any losses and limits to lock in profits.

Hope

While all traders need hope to start trading, excessive optimism can backfire. Too many traders hold on to a losing trade because they believe that it will reverse its trend and become profitable.

Tip: Set realistic goals. Be happy with what you have earned, rather than frustrated by what you could have earned.

Frustration

Traders can get annoyed when the markets have behaved in unexpected ways and generates losses or fails to deliver anticipated gains.

Tip: Accept in advance that asset price movements are completely unpredictable and you will suffer losses at some point. These can be managed, say, by attaching stops and limits to your trades.

Boredom

Too many investors buy and sell because they want something to do. They are trading as entertainment, rather than in the hope of making money. As well as making bad decisions, the extra dealing charges eat into returns.

Tip: Open an online demo account and get your thrills without risking real money.

If you go

The flights

Etihad flies direct from Abu Dhabi to San Francisco from Dh5,760 return including taxes. 

The car

Etihad Guest members get a 10 per cent worldwide discount when booking with Hertz, as well as earning miles on their rentals. A week's car hire costs from Dh1,500 including taxes.

The hotels

Along the route, Motel 6 (www.motel6.com) offers good value and comfort, with rooms from $55 (Dh202) per night including taxes. In Portland, the Jupiter Hotel (https://jupiterhotel.com/) has rooms from $165 (Dh606) per night including taxes. The Society Hotel https://thesocietyhotel.com/ has rooms from $130 (Dh478) per night including taxes. 

More info

To keep up with constant developments in Portland, visit www.travelportland.com. Good guidebooks include the Lonely Planet guides to Northern California and Washington, Oregon & the Pacific Northwest. 

 

The Settlers

Director: Louis Theroux

Starring: Daniella Weiss, Ari Abramowitz

Rating: 5/5

Bareilly Ki Barfi
Directed by: Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari
Starring: Kriti Sanon, Ayushmann Khurrana, Rajkummar Rao
Three and a half stars

The specs

Engine: four-litre V6 and 3.5-litre V6 twin-turbo

Transmission: six-speed and 10-speed

Power: 271 and 409 horsepower

Torque: 385 and 650Nm

Price: from Dh229,900 to Dh355,000

Specs

Engine: 51.5kW electric motor

Range: 400km

Power: 134bhp

Torque: 175Nm

Price: From Dh98,800

Available: Now

Updated: August 04, 2021, 2:56 PM