At-risk Afghans fearing Taliban hunker down, wait to leave

By SAMYA KULLAB and ELAINE GANLEY
Associated Press

Employees of the collapsed Afghan government, civil society activists and women are among the at-risk Afghans who have gone into hiding or are staying off the streets since the Taliban takeover of the country. They fear a massive rollback of women’s rights and are deeply mistrustful of Taliban promises of inclusiveness and forgiveness. They hope for a way to leave their homeland. They are staying in safe houses or hunkering down in their homes in the meantime. But getting onto an evacuation list difficult. And if even if they manage that, the journey to the airport is challenging as well.