More than 40 Afghan women who were hiding from the Taliban had been safely rescued by an Israeli group after conducting stealthy rescue operations.
IsraAID, a non-profit whose mission is to provide urgent aid to those affected by humanitarian crises, saved a total of 41 women from the hands of the Taliban. CBN News said those rescued included activists on female rights, 19 members of a cycling team, three members of a robotics team, a singer, and their respective relatives. The rescue operation undertook a "daunting challenge" since it entailed searching for the said women who were hiding in a city ruled by the Taliban.
"The issue was they had to collect them from hiding. (The rescuers) had to do rounds around the city in alleys to pick up these people and try not to create any suspicious movement," IsraAID CEO Yotam Polizer told the Telegraph in an interview.
"The stressful part really was around the border, there were a lot of Taliban in the area. They were not allowed to leave the shelter and we were very stressed that someone might find them," he disclosed.
Polizer was referring to a safe house the women hid near the border of Tajikistan where they waited first for clearance from the government for entry. Upon receipt of the clearance, they were met at Dushanbe by Israeli aid workers who boarded them on a plane bound for the United Arab Emirates on September 6. Their arrival was announced in Twitter by United Arab Emirates Strategic Communications Deputy Director Afra Al Hameli.
"Working alongside international partners to ensure that those in need may reach safety, the #UAE has welcomed 41 #Afghan evacuees, including vulnerable members from the Afghan girls' cycling &robotic teams, as well as at-risk human rights activists &their family members," Hameli revealed on September 6.
CBN New highlighted that women's rights were not protected during the Taliban's previous regime in Afghanistan. The Taliban instituted a Ministries of Virtue and Vice that was feared because its "morality police" was known to hang, beat, and stone women in public.
Now that the Taliban are in control again, the said ministry was reinstated with a new name, "Ministries of Prayer and Guidance and the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice," and replaced the Ministry of Women. Women in Afghanistan now fear losing their rights to basic education and having a career of their own.
Last month, Christianity Daily reported that Afghan women's dreams were crushed due to the Taliban takeover. This realization was affirmed when Zabiullah Mujahid, a Taliban spokesman, warned women to stay indoors since some of their forces "have not been yet trained very well" and "may mistreat women."
Though the Taliban have said their new regime is set to respect women's rights based on Islamic laws. Doubts on this was affirmed last week when an Afghan Christian woman-a certain Maryam-revealed the deadly assault she experienced from the Taliban in an interview with CBN News.
Maryam said she and other women where confronted by Taliban fighters when she withdrew money from the bank. The Taliban harassed them for not having male companions, called them "infidels," and threatened to kill them. In fact, the Taliban fired their guns to the air to disperse them, but they were able to find a safe place to run to.
