Young people who have spoken against Taliban rule in Afghanistan or who adopted lifestyles that don't fit the fundamentalist regime say they fear for their livelihoods and lives as the insurgent group gains more territory.

"We live in very critical and dangerous circumstances right now," said Murtaza Ahmadi, a writer, part-time teacher and government employee.

"The Afghan government is losing power and authority across the country while the Taliban are gaining," he said. "Thousands of people are leaving Afghanistan because they think the Taliban are slowly gaining power all over the country and they don't trust the Afghan government."

Since international troops started withdrawing from Afghanistan earlier this year, Taliban insurgents have increased attacks against Afghan forces, capturing nearly half of the country's roughly 420 districts. The U.S. military is slated to conclude its mission to Afghanistan by August 31.

The Afghan government insists its forces will retake lost territory. Peace talks between the warring parties have been stalled.

From the start of 2021 to July, according to the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), some 270,000 Afghans have been forced from their homes, and more than 3.5 million people internally displaced.

"If the Taliban gain power," he said, "I will be one of the first people to get beheaded because I spoke out about their brutality in my book, The Dream Seller: Bakhshinda Roya."

Ahmadi was in Kabul when the Taliban ruled from 1996 to 2001, and remembers it well, he said. He wrote his book because "I wanted the present generation to be aware of how brutal life was under the Taliban," he said. "Women had to wear burqas, could not leave the house without a man, or go to work, or get an education. Men had to grow beards."

In a recent interview with the Associated Press, Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen claimed that under any Taliban government, women will be allowed to work, go to school, and participate in politics, but will have to wear the hijab, or headscarf.

Still, many young Afghans say they are considering leaving their country as 20 years of U.S. military intervention draws down, and the Taliban advances across the countryside.

Thousands of Afghans who may be targets of Taliban violence due to U.S. affiliations but are not eligible for a Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) will have the opportunity to resettle as refugees in the United States, the State Department said Monday.

"When you live in Afghanistan you do not know what will happen to you within an hour," said Bakhteyar Atify, a makeup artist in Kabul whose trade is forbidden under the Taliban's Islamic law. "We always worry and stress about our tomorrow: losing our job, dying of hunger, or stepping into an explosion and dying or becoming disabled," he described. "Almost everyone has depression and mental illness. It is all because of hopelessness for their futures."

Atify, based in the capital city of Kabul, has been working for TOLO TV for the past decade. He said he doesn't see a future for his work or lifestyle if the Taliban takes full control of Kabul and Afghanistan.

"For the past 15 years, I worked so hard to become a great makeup artist by watching other makeup artists, taking their tutorials, following them on social media, and learning online," he said. "They will all be destroyed if the Taliban with its harsh policies come to Kabul."

Atify said he does makeup for women announcers, actors and singers.

"My photos are all over social media. I will be the first to be beheaded by the Taliban because my work is forbidden by them."

After four decades of war, more than 70% of Afghanistan's population is younger than 25.

Mustafa Shirzad, who works in the Afghan Ministry of Finance in Kabul, says that he has lost hope and motivation for his future.

"If the Taliban gain power, their ideology is very different from mine, and I don't think I can work under the Taliban regime because I studied abroad and I have different expectations. If this happens, I will leave," he said. "Our bright and working people will leave if they take control. If I know that they are taking control of Kabul, and I am in danger, I won't think for a minute to leave."

Fatima Airan also works in Kabul in the Ministry of Finance, and like Shirzad, she studied abroad.

"Working women are scared that they might not be able to continue with their education and jobs," she stated. "Everyone is trying to find a way to leave the country, especially people who spoke against the Taliban and talk about their brutalities."

Since the violence increased across the country in May and June 2021 — when the United States and NATO allies began their troop withdrawal — 783 civilians have been killed and 1,609 others wounded, the U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan stated.

SEE ALSO:

UN: Afghan Civilian Casualties Up By 47%, Could Hit New Highs

The administration of President Donald Trump said on Monday it will review Columbia University's federal contracts and grants over allegations of antisemitism, which it says the educational institution has shown inaction in tackling.

Rights advocates note rising antisemitism, Islamophobia and anti-Arab bias since U.S. ally Israel's devastating military assault on Gaza began after Palestinian Hamas militants' deadly October 2023 attack.

The Justice Department said a month ago it formed a task force to fight antisemitism. The U.S. Departments of Health and Education and the General Services Administration jointly made the review announcement on Monday.

"The Federal Government's Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism is considering Stop Work Orders for $51.4 million in contracts between Columbia University and the Federal Government," the joint statement said.

The agencies said no contracting actions had been taken yet.

"The task force will also conduct a comprehensive review of the more than $5 billion in federal grant commitments to Columbia University."

The agencies did not respond to requests for comment on whether there were similar reviews over allegations of Islamophobia and anti-Arab bias.

Columbia had no immediate comment. It previously said it made efforts to tackle antisemitism.

College protests

Trump has signed an executive order to combat antisemitism and pledged to deport non-citizen college students and others who took part in pro-Palestinian protests.

Columbia was at the center of college protests in which demonstrators demanded an end to U.S. support for Israel due to the humanitarian crisis caused by Israel's assault on Gaza. There were allegations of antisemitism and Islamophobia in protests and counter-protests.

During last summer's demonstrations around the country, classes were canceled, some university administrators resigned and student protesters were suspended and arrested.

While the intensity of protests has decreased in recent months, there were some demonstrations last week in New York after the expulsion of two students at Columbia University-affiliated Barnard College and after New York Governor Kathy Hochul ordered the removal of a Palestinian studies job listing at Hunter College.

A third student at Barnard College has since been expelled, this one related to the occupation of the Hamilton Hall building at Columbia last year.

The Trump administration is opening new investigations into allegations of antisemitism at five U.S. universities including Columbia and the University of California, Berkeley, the Education Department announced Monday.

It's part of President Donald Trump's promise to take a tougher stance against campus antisemitism and deal out harsher penalties than the Biden administration, which settled a flurry of cases with universities in its final weeks. It comes the same day the Justice Department announced a new task force to root out antisemitism on college campuses.

In an order signed last week, Trump called for aggressive action to fight anti-Jewish bias on campuses, including the deportation of foreign students who have participated in pro-Palestinian protests.

Along with Columbia and Berkeley, the department is now investigating the University of Minnesota, Northwestern University and Portland State University. The cases were opened using the department's power to launch its own civil rights reviews, unlike the majority of investigations, which stem from complaints.

Messages seeking comment were left with all five universities.
A statement from the Education Department criticized colleges for tolerating antisemitism after Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel and a wave of pro-Palestinian protests that followed. It also criticized the Biden administration for negotiating "toothless" resolutions that failed to hold schools accountable.

"Today, the Department is putting universities, colleges, and K-12 schools on notice: this administration will not tolerate continued institutional indifference to the wellbeing of Jewish students on American campuses," said Craig Trainor, the agency's acting assistant secretary for civil rights.

The department didn't provide details about the inquiries or how it decided which schools are being targeted. Presidents of Columbia and Northwestern were among those called to testify on Capitol Hill last year as Republicans sought accountability for allegations of antisemitism. The hearings contributed to the resignation of multiple university presidents, including Columbia's Minouche Shafik.

An October report from House Republicans accused Columbia of failing to punish pro-Palestinian students who took over a campus building, and it called Northwestern's negotiations with student protesters a "stunning capitulation."

House Republicans applauded the new investigations. Representative Tim Walberg, chair of the Education and Workforce Committee, said he was "glad that we finally have an administration who is taking action to protect Jewish students."

Trump's order also calls for a full review of antisemitism complaints filed with the Education Department since Oct. 7, 2023, including pending and resolved cases from the Biden administration. It encourages the Justice Department to take action to enforce civil rights laws.

Last week's order drew backlash from civil rights groups who said it violated First Amendment rights that protect political speech.

The new task force announced Monday includes the Justice and Education departments along with Health and Human Services.

"The Department takes seriously our responsibility to eradicate this hatred wherever it is found," said Leo Terrell, assistant attorney general for civil rights. "The Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism is the first step in giving life to President Trump's renewed commitment to ending anti-Semitism in our schools."

The Times of India breaks down the most popular subjects for international students to study in the U.S.

STEM and business lead the pack. Read the full story here. (January 2025)

U.S. News & World report addresses some of the misconceptions about U.S. colleges and universities, including the difficulty of getting a visa.

Read the full story here. (January 2025)