>>> TODAY DOZENS OF INCREDIBLY
BRAVE AFGHAN GIRLS ARE BACK IN
SCHOOL AFTER A HORRIFIC BOMBING
KILLED AT LEAST 60 PEOPLE THIS
WEEKEND, MANY OF THEM TEENAGE
GIRL ATTENDING SCHOOL.
THE TALIBAN HAS NOT CLAIMED
RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ATTACK,
BUT THE DEADLY INCIDENT MIRRORS
A RISE IN ATTACKS AGAINST
AFGHANS SINCE PRESIDENT BIDEN
ANNOUNCED THE U.S. TROOP
WITHDRAWAL.
RICHARD ENGEL HAS BEEN IN KABUL
AS THIS COMMUNITY DEALS WITH THE
TRAGEDY AND THE GRIEF.
>> Reporter: THE NURSE HELD
TARPS TO SHADE THE BODIES AS
THEY PRAYED FOR THE FALLEN, MANY
OF THEM UNDER 15.
WHEN I ASKED A GROUP OF MOURNERS
WHAT THEY THINK WILL HAPPEN NOW
AS AMERICAN TROOPS LEAVE, THEY
ALL PREDICT CIVIL WAR AND AN
EMBOLDENED TALIBAN.
21-YEAR-OLD SHAZ AMMANN.
>> THE GOVERNMENT CANNOT CONTROL
THE SITUATION.
>> RICHARD ENGEL IN KABUL AND
GAIL AMMAN "NEW YORK TIMES"
BEST-SELLING AUTHOR AND HER NEW
BOOK IS "THE DAUGHTERS OF
KABANI."
RICHARD, THEYRE THE FIRST IN A
SERIES OF ATTACKS AND THERE HAVE
BEEN ATTACKS IN THE LAST WEEKS,
MONTHS, EVEN.
AS YOU SPOKE WITH THOSE YOUNG
STUDENTS TODAY, THEY ARE
DETERMINED TO KEEP GOING TO
SCHOOL DESPITE EVERYTHING.
>> THEY ARE, AND ACROSS KABUL,
EXCEPT FOR THAT ONE SCHOOL THAT
WAS BOMBED, CHILDREN WERE BACK
IN CLASSES TODAY AND THERE IS A
LINGERING FEAR HERE THAT IS
COMING MORE AND MORE TO THE
SURFACE THIS THIS COUNTRY IS ON
THE BRINK OF THIS KIND OF CIVIL
WAR.
>> AMERICAN TROOPS ARE LEAVING
AND NATO TROOPS ARE LEAVING AND
THAT MEANS IT IS UP TO THE
AFGHAN SECURITY FORCES.
ON THEIR OWN THEY WILL STILL GET
SOME LOGISTICAL SUPPORT, BUT
THEY WILL BE GETTING IT FROM
AFAR TO FIGHT OFF THE TALIBAN
AND THE TALIBAN IS NOT THE SAME
MILITANT GROUP THAT RULED THIS
COUNTRY 20 YEARS AGO THEY ARE
MUCH BETTER AND THEYVE GOTTEN
BETTER AT THEIR TACTICS AND
HAVING FOUGHT THE AMERICAN
FORCES AND NATO FORCES FOR SO
LONG.
THEY ARE CLOSING IN.
THEY ALREADY CONTROL HALF OF
THIS COUNTRY AS OF RIGHT NOW. THEY DONT CONTROL ANY OF THE
THEY DONT CONTROL ANY OF THE
BIG TOWNS AND CITIES, BUT IN THE
VILLAGES AND COUNTRY SIDE THEY
HAVE CLOSED GIRLS SCHOOLS AND
RE-IMPOSING THEIR WILL.
U.S. TROOPS WOULD LEAVE AND IN
EXCHANGE THE TALIBAN WOULD NOT
ENGAGE IN INTERNATIONAL
TERRORISM AND WOULD MORE OR LESS
CHANGE ITS WAYS, BUT IT SEEMS
VERY MUCH LIKE AS AMERICAN
TROOPS LEAVE THE SAME OLD
TALIBAN IS COMING BACK WITH ITS
SAME, OLD WAYS, AND I THINK HERE
IN KABUL THEY ARE WORRIED THAT
THEY ARE SOON GOING TO BE
ARRIVING ON THE DOORSTEPS OF
THIS CITY AND THIS ATTACK AND
OTHERS MAY HAVE BEEN BY TALIBAN
AND MAY HAVE BEEN BY ISIS AND
CERTAINLY THE RESULT IS THE
SAME, WOMEN AND GIRLS WERE
TARGETED.
>> YEAH, AND THE TALIBAN DEAL
WAS NOT TO ATTACK -- NOT TO DO
INTERNATIONAL TERROR, NOT TO
ATTACK U.S. TROOP, BUT THE CASE
ACCORDING TO CENTCOM, THE PACE
OF ATTACKS AGAINST AFGHANS IS
INCREASING.
GAIL AMMAN, YOUVE LIVED THERE
AND WRITTEN ABOUT IT IN YOUR
BOOKS.
WHAT IS THE HOPE FOR WOMEN AND
GIRLS GOING FORWARD?
>> YEAH, I WOULD NEVER LOSE HOPE
BECAUSE THEY DONT, AND I SPOKE
LAST NIGHT AND THIS MORNING TO
SEVERAL FOLKS WHO WERE PART OF
CONVERSATIONS THAT WOMEN ARE
HAVING, CALLING FOR THE
GOVERNMENT TO DO MORE TO PROTECT
WOMEN AND GIRLS AND THERE IS AN
ORGANIZATION AMONG AFGHAN WOMEN
TO FIGURE OUT WHAT COMES NEXT.
THE QUESTION IS WHAT CAN THE
U.S. DO?
THERE ARE TWO THINGS THAT ARE
REALLY IMPORTANT.
ONE IS DIPLOMACY.
WHEN I SPENT A LOT OF TIME IN
KABUL UNIVERSITY, AN AMAZING
RESEARCH INSTITUTION, YOU GO
BACK TO THE ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS
WHEN THE TALIBAN TOOK KABUL IN
1996 AND WHAT THEY WANTED IS THE
UNITED NATIONS, AND THE
INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY HAS
LEVERAGED AND I THINK THERE HAS
TO BE A DIALOGUE ABOUT WHAT
COMES NEXT.
THE SECOND THING IS THAT YOU
REALLY DO SEE AFGHAN WOMEN AND
GIRLS CALLING FOR AFGHAN
SECURITY FORCES TO BE SUPPORTIVE
AND THAT IS WHEN I TALK TO A LOT
OF ACTIVISTS, ITS REALLY
IMPORTANT THAT THE WORLD DOESNT
FORGET US, THAT THE WORLD
DOESNT LEAVE DIPLOMATICALLY AND
THAT OUR SECURITY SERVICES
CONTINUE TO HAVE SUPPORT.
HOW DO YOU EXTINGUISH THE
BRIGHTEST LIGHTS OF THE NATION,
YOU GO AFTER GIRLS THAT WOULD DO
ANYTHING TO GO TO SCHOOL.
I SPENT A LOT OF TIME, AND I WAS
SO EMOTIONAL LAST EVENING AND
HOW DETERMINED THOSE GIRLS ARE
AND HOW DETERMINED THEIR FATHERS
AND MOTHERS WERE SO THEY COULD
HAVE A GOOD EDUCATION TO HAVE A
BRIGHTER FUTURE FOR THEIR
COUNTRY.
>> WE HAVE A LITTLE BIT MORE,
GAYLE, OF SOME OF RICHARDS
INTERVIEWS AND I WANTED TO PLAY
MORE OF IT, THE DETERMINATION
AND RESILIENCE IS REMARKABLE.
>> THAT ATTACK MUST HAVE BEEN
FRIGHTENING BECAUSE THEY WERE
TRYING TO TARGET GIRLS JUST LIKE
YOU, BUT YOURE NOT STOPPING.
YOU ARE HERE IN SCHOOL.
>> WE ARE STRONG GIRLS AND WE
WILL CONTINUE LIKE THAT.
>> RICHARD, SPEAK TO THAT
BECAUSE YOU WERE THERE.
YOU ARE SEEING IT UP CLOSE.
>> Reporter: WELL, THERES TWO
ISSUES AT STAKE.
THERE IS THE YOUNGER GENERATION
OF AFGHANS WHO HAVE GROWN UP
UNDER AMERICAN AND INTERNATIONAL
PROTECTION FOR THE LAST 20
YEARS.
IT HASNT BEEN GREAT IN THIS
VIOLENCE AND THERES BEEN
CORRUPTION, BUT THEY HAVE HAD
OPPORTUNITIES LIKE THEY NEVER
SAW.
IN THAT ONE CLASSROOM WHERE I
WAS TODAY, THAT ONE GIRL SAID
SHE EITHER WANTS TO BE A
BUSINESSWOMAN OR A DOCTOR.
NEXT, SHES 12.
THE GIRL NEXT TO HER SAID SHE
WANTS TO BE AN ASTRONAUT AND
ANOTHER GIRL SAYS SHE WANTS TO
BE A DOCTOR AND 20 YEARS AGO
WHEN THE TALIBAN WAS HERE, GIRLS
WERENT ALLOWED TO HAVE
AMBITIONS LIKE THAT AND NOW
THERE IS A CONCERN THAT THIS
COUNTRY IS BACKWARDS.
THOSE GIRLS TOLD ME THEYRE
AFRAID AND THEY DONT WANT TO
LOSE THE RIGHTS AND THEY DONT
WANT TO LOSE THEIR DREAMS.
SO THERE IS THIS GENERATION HERE
THAT IS GIVEN LOAN DREAMING OF A