>>> AS WESTERN INVOLVEMENT IN
AFGHANISTAN COMES TO AN END, SKY
NEWS TAKES A CLOSER LOOK AT THE
AFGHAN PEOPLE WHO FACE THE MOST
RISK WHEN THE TROOPS LEAVE.
PARTICULARLY THE AFGHAN WOMEN
AND YOUNG PEOPLE WHO HAVE CARVED
OUT A LIFE FOR THEMSELVES IN
SPITE OF OR PERHAPS IN DEFIANCE
OF THE THREAT OF VIOLENCE
AGAINST THEM.
SKY NEWS SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
ALEX CRAWFORD REPORTS FROM
KABUL.
>> Reporter: AFGHANISTANS
HOSPITALS ARE FILLED WITH THE
WAR WOUNDED, MANY OF THEM
CHILDREN.
THE LATEST HERE IS A 13-YEAR-OLD
GIRL.
SHES NEVER KNOWN PEACE.
THE DOCTORS WILL PATCH HER UP
AND REMOVE THE SHRAPNEL IN HER,
BUT SHELL EMERGE BACK INTO A
COUNTRY WHERE SURVIVAL IS
GETTING HARDER AND HARDER.
THERES BEEN A SPIKE IN
FATALITIES AND CASUALTIES AS
ALLIED TROOPS BEGIN TO PULL OUT
AFTER NEARLY 20 YEARS AND THE
AFGHANS FEAR IT WILL ONLY GET
WORSE.
NO ONES SAFE, NOT EVEN MEDICS
SAVING LIVES.
HES A DOCTOR, SHOT AFTER
REFUSING AN X-RAY ON A PATIENT
HE SUSPECTED HAD CORONAVIRUS.
THERE ARE MULTIPLE DANGERS
FACING EVERYONE IN THIS COUNTRY.
AND HE SIGNALS HIS APPRECIATION
TO HIS FELLOW MEDICS.
>> IM OKAY, THANK YOU.
>> Reporter: BUT DESPITE HIS
BRAVERY, HES VULNERABLE,
BECAUSE HE ALSO WORKED WITH THE
AMERICANS.
MANY WHO WORKED ALONGSIDE THE
U.S. TROOPS ARE FLEEING FOR
THEIR LIVES.
FATIMA, THATS NOT HER REAL
NAME, AND HER CHILDREN HAVE GONE
INTO HIDING AFTER DEATH THREATS
FROM THE TALIBAN FOR HER WORK IN
EMPOWERING OTHER WOMEN.
SHE THOUGHT SHE WAS BUILDING A
NEW AND BETTER AFGHANISTAN, BUT
NOW SHES VIEWED AS A SPY AND
ENEMY COLLABORATOR BY THE
TALIBAN.
AND HER FORMER U.S. PARTNERS ARE
LEAVING HER TO FACE THE FIGHTERS
ALONE.
>> Translator: I FEEL EXTREMELY
ABANDONED.
I AM IN DANGER.
ITS NOT ONLY THAT I AM IN
DANGER.
NOW MY KIDS ARE IN DANGER ALSO
BECAUSE NOW, YOU KNOW, THEY CAME
BEHIND MY DAUGHTER.
THEY SENT ME MESSAGES TO THE
PHONE.
THEY GOT IN TOUCH WITH ME IN
MANY DIFFERENT WAYS SO ITS THE
LIVES OF MY CHILDREN AND MYSELF,
BOTH OF US, ESPECIALLY MY KIDS
AT THIS POINT.
THEY WONT LEAVE ME ALIVE.
>> IM WORRIED ABOUT MY PEOPLE.
WHATS GOING TO BE HAPPENING
WITH THEM.
>> Reporter: FEMALE ACTIVISTS
LIKE MABOUA TOLD US OF THE FEAR
OF THE ADVANCING TALIBAN.
>> UNFORTUNATELY, WE HAVE NO
FLIGHTS.
>> Reporter: SHE AND HER STAFF
ARE TRYING TO ARRANGE EMERGENCY
FLIGHTS FOR FELLOW HUMAN RIGHTS
DEFENDERS IN CITIES NOW
SURROUNDED BY TALIBAN FIGHTERS.
I WAS GIVEN RARE ACCESS AND
ALLOWED TO FILM INSIDE A SECRET
REFUGE SHE RUNS FOR DOZENS OF
WOMEN.
NO MEN ARE PERMITTED TO CROSS
THE THRESHOLD.
EVERY WOMAN AND CHILD IN HERE
HAS RUN AWAY OR BEEN RESCUED
FROM ABUSE OR VIOLENCE AND
THEYRE TERRIFIED OF THE RETURN
OF THE TALIBAN.
>> THEIR WORST FEAR IS THEY WILL
DISRESPECT THEM, USE THEM, ABUSE
THEM, MOLEST THEM OR WHATEVER,
AND ALSO THEY WILL KILL THEM AND
THEN THERE WAS ONE OF THEM THAT
IS AFRAID HER TWO CHILDREN WOULD
BE TAKEN BY THEIR FATHER BECAUSE
THEIR FATHER IS A TALIBAN.
>> Reporter: HERE, THEY DONT
BELIEVE THE TALIBAN REASSURANCES
THAT THEYVE CHANGED.
THEY TELL ME OF SHOCKING LIVES,
OF FORCED MARRIAGES, OF
BEATINGS, OF RAPES, WHERE THEY
HAVE NO SAY AND NO RIGHTS, AND
THAT IS WHAT THEY BELIEVE THE
TALIBAN ENVISAGE FOR WOMEN.
THIS 21-YEAR-OLD TOLD HOW SHE
WAS BEING FORCED TO MARRY A
13-YEAR-OLD BOY.
I FELT LIKE MY LIFE WAS FALLING
APART, SHE SAYS, UNTIL I GOT
HERE.
THEIR FEAR OF THE TALIBAN IS
REAL AND GROWING AS THE GROUP
GETS STRONGER AND SNATCHES MORE
TERRITORY.
ANOTHER SAYS SHE TOO WAS FORCED
TO MARRY A YOUNG BOY AND
REPEATEDLY BEATEN BY HER
IN-LAWS. WITH THE TALIBAN IN POWER, WILL
WITH THE TALIBAN IN POWER, WILL
THIS JUST GET WORSE? I THINK ITS DEFINITELY GOING TO
I THINK ITS DEFINITELY GOING TO
GET WORSE, SHE SAYS.
THE YOUNG WOMEN OF TODAYS
AFGHANISTAN HAVE HAD A GLIMPSE
OF FREE THINKING AND
INDEPENDENCE.
ALTHOUGH THOSE IN THIS TAEKWONDO
CLUB HAVE ALL BATTLED FAMILY
DISAPPROVAL TO BE HERE.
AND THEIR MARTIAL ARTS TRAINING
COMBINED THE SKILLS NECESSARY IN
THIS COUNTRY, HOW TO SURVIVE
BOMB BLASTS AND BULLETS.
ALL BUT ONE HAS BEEN CAUGHT UP
IN TERROR INCIDENTS, MANY NEAR
THEIR SCHOOLS.
THE TALIBAN INSISTS THEYRE MORE
RELAXED ABOUT GIRLS SCHOOLING
BUT THEIR LEARNING CENTERS ARE
STILL FREQUENTLY ATTACKED.
WEEKS BEFORE THE PULLOUT OF
INTERNATIONAL TROOPS, A CAR
BAHAMASBOMB
DETONATED OUTSIDE A GIRLS HIGH
SCHOOL KILLED AT LEAST 90
PEOPLE.
EVERY GIRL HERE KNOWS THEYRE
RISKING DEATH EVERY TIME THEY
SET OFF TO LEARN.
HOW SCARED ARE YOU ABOUT GOING
TO SCHOOL?
>> Translator: IM SCARED A LOT.
WHENEVER I LEAVE MY HOUSE, IM
SCARED, BECAUSE WE DONT KNOW IF
WELL COME BACK ALIVE.
>> Reporter: 18-YEAR-OLD KATARA
GETS MOELSEMOTIONAL TELLING US S
WONT GIVE UP TRYING TO BE A
LAWYER.
THE EXPLOSIONS ARE NORMAL TO US
NOW, SHE SAYS.
SHES NOT AFRAID FOR HERSELF,
BUT SHES TERRIFIED HER FAMILY
WILL BE KILLED.
HAVE YOU LOST ANYONE?
MY COUSIN AND UNCLE DIED IN AN
EXPLOSION, SHE SAYS.
ALMOST EVERYONE HERE HAS
EXPERIENCED DEATH.
PARTS OF AFGHANISTAN ARE
UNRECOGNIZABLE TO TALIBAN TIMES.
WOMEN OWNING AND RUNNING THEIR
OWN BUSINESSES LIKE THIS CAFE.
BUT THEY FEAR THEYLL BE AMONGST
THE FIRST TO BE BANNED BY A
TALIBAN REGIME.
THERES A NEW GENERATION WHO
HAVE GROWN UP WITH THESE SMALL
FREEDOMS, AND THEY WANT MORE,
NOT LESS.
>> IM NOT FEELING GOOD, BECAUSE
IF THEY COME BACK TO
AFGHANISTAN, WE WILL HAVE LOST
ALL OF THESE RIGHTS TO GO OUT OR
EVEN GO OUT OF HOME.
>> I DONT LIKE SCARF, BUT I
CAN, LIKE --
>> SHE HAS TO.
SHE HAS TO WEAR A SCARF.
>> IF TALIBAN COME, I HAVE TO
WEAR A SCARF, AND ITS AWFUL FOR
ME.
>> Reporter: NEXT DOOR TO THE
CAFE, THERES A BEAUTY SALON,
AGAIN OWNED AND RUN BY A WOMAN.
ALL THIS WAS TABOO UNDER THE
TALIBAN REGIME, AND MANY FEAR IT
WONT BE LONG BEFORE THE STRICT RULES ABOUT WHAT WOMEN CAN AND
RULES ABOUT WHAT WOMEN CAN AND
CANT DO ARE ENFORCED AGAIN.
ON TOP OF THE HILLS SURROUNDING
THE CAPITAL, THERE ARE MONUMENTS
TO THE SCHOOL CHILDREN KILLED IN
TERROR EXPLOSIONS, AND THESE
GRAVES ARE STILL INCREASING.
WITH FEW OPTIMISTIC ABOUT
AFGHANISTANS IMMEDIATE FUTURE.
ALEX CRAWFORD, SKY NEWS, KABUL.
>> WOW.
INCREDIBLE REPORTING.
AND IT REALLY SHOWS, JOE, JUST
HOW COMPLICATED THIS HAS BEEN
FOR TWO DECADES.
I MEAN, ON THIS VERY SHOW, THERE
HAVE BEEN MANY CRITIQUES OF THE
GOVERNMENT FOR STAYING THERE TOO
LONG, FOR THIS FOREVER WAR TO
END.
AT THE SAME TIME, ITS JUST
BEYOND HEARTBREAKING TO SEE NOW
WHAT WILL INEVITABLY START
HAPPENING AGAIN IN THE VOID THAT
AMERICA LEAVES.
>> YEAH, THE UNITED STATES
DEFINITELY HAS TO THINK LONG AND
HARD BEFORE IT GOES INTO OTHER
COUNTRIES AT WAR AND ALSO WHAT
THE MOST SUSTAINABLE COURSE IS
FOR COUNTRIES LIKE AFGHANISTAN.
WHETHER ITS 2,500 OR 3,000 OR
4,000 TROOPS WHO WERE SO
EFFECTIVE IN AFGHANISTAN AND
ALSO SO EFFECTIVE IN SYRIA.
IS THERE A SUSTAINABLE FIGHTING
FORCE THAT CAN KEEP THE PEACE
AND PROTECT PEOPLE LIKE THOSE
THAT WE SAW IN THAT PACKAGE OR