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

A knock at the door could spell doom. Every passing hour seems endless. That’s the new reality for many Afghans who feel they have most to fear from the Taliban and have gone into hiding or are staying off the streets since the fighters swept to power this month.

Those hunkering down include employees of the collapsed government, civil society activists and women. They are desperate for news that they might be granted asylum somewhere else.

They fear a massive rollback of women’s rights, or they are distrustful of the Taliban’s promises that they won’t seek revenge on former adversaries and that they want to form an inclusive government as the US ends its 20-year war.

One of those in hiding is Mobina, 39, a journalist from the city of Mazar-e-Sharif. After the Taliban overran her city, she fled with her two children and has found refuge in a safe house in Kabul.

“We are asking ourselves ‘What is next?’ We are crying because nothing can be fixed,” Mobina said.

Elsewhere in the Afghan capital, Mumtaz is huddled with his family in their apartment. His father worked for the government and his brother was killed in a grenade attack in 2010 in Laghman province, where the Taliban have long been active. The family made a run to Kabul’s airport after the Taliban entered the city on Aug. 15, but they encountered huge crowds, chaos and gunfire and went back home.

They haven’t left the apartment since. Their anxiety grew after a neighbour warned them a group of armed men were looking for them. It is not always clear whether those knocking on doors or spreading fear are Taliban or criminals freed from prison during their sweep through the country.

“We can’t go out. We just ask our neighbour to bring us food. ... We are really scared,“ said Mumtaz, 26, who recently graduated from law school. He said he has lost all sense of time.

Mobina and Mumtaz spoke on condition they be identified only by their first names, fearing reprisals. Both said they have not received threats directly from the Taliban so far.

Taliban fighters have set up checkpoints throughout Kabul, stopping motorists to ask where they are headed or checking car papers. There have also been some reports of Taliban going door to door in search of former government workers and civil activists.

Such reports could not always be independently verified, and it’s not clear if they indicate that Taliban leaders are saying one thing and doing another, or if some on the ground are taking matters into their own hands. There is no indication of large-scale house-to-house searches.

Taliban commanders have said they have instructions to confiscate government property, including weapons and cars, but that they have told their men to respect private property. Taliban leaders have also encouraged government workers to return to work.

Still, there are growing signs of restrictions.