- Published
Governor Abdullah Sarhadi gives money to treat a boy's broken arm and hands out funds for a local mosque - then, in his office in northern Afghanistan, an astonishing exchange unfolds.
asserted
exchange → give → Afghanistan
A young woman tells the grey-bearded former Taliban commander that she wants to divorce her husband, who she accuses of months of abuse and beatings.
asserted
she → tell → abuse
She will not take no for an answer.
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She → take → answer
In a country where girls are banned from secondary education, the 18-year-old argues her case calmly and confidently, her face completely hidden behind a full-face veil and sunglasses.
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face → ban → veil
"If there was any chance to live together, I wouldn't be here…
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I → be → ?
I have taken my decision," she says.
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she → take → decision
After trying to persuade her to avoid divorce, the governor later comments that women are "mindless" and "deficient in intellect", to laughter from the male officials, bodyguards and elders around him.
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women → try → him
The moment gives a rare glimpse into the day-to-day realities of the Taliban's rule, five years after they swept aside the US-backed government in 2021.
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they → give → 2021
In that time, women have been excluded from most workplaces, banned from universities and may not travel alone or visit parks and leisure centres.
uncertain
women → exclude → parks
In encounters spread over two years, the BBC gained unusual access to influential figures in the extreme Islamist movement, spending time with men who once planned suicide attacks or spent years in underground hideouts, but are now officials and soldiers.
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who → spread → hideouts
The Taliban came into power saying they had changed, but many of their policies are similar to the hard-line interpretation of Sharia - Islamic religious law - they imposed in the 1990s.
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they → come → 1990s
The men we met seemed to want to present themselves as reasonable, yet were not keen to discuss their past violence.
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we → meet → violence
And we saw moments of unease between the rulers and those they rule.
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they → see → rulers
Governor Sarhadi says Tuba – not her real name – should stay in the marriage.
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Tuba → say → marriage
"Ask yourself: 'Who would marry me after I get my divorce?'" says Sarhadi.
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Sarhadi → ask → divorce
"You'll have to compromise a lot or you'll lose your dignity and honour.
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you → have → dignity
"
"Mr Governor, my honour and dignity have already been ruined," she responds.
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she → ruin → ?
Her husband listens, awaiting his turn to speak.
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husband → listen → turn
Under Sharia, a woman requesting that her husband agrees to a divorce may have to return some or all of the money given to her by him when they married.
uncertain
they → request → him
A financial settlement is often agreed.
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settlement → agree → ?
But this woman's husband says he wants four times the amount, which her family refuses to pay.
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family → say → which
The governor says the woman should be given her own room.
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woman → say → room
He adds that officials will warn him not to beat her - "otherwise he'd be jailed".
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he → add → her
Unsatisfied, Tuba's father later tells the BBC the family will pursue divorce through the courts, even though, under the Taliban's court system, it is very difficult for a woman to get a divorce without the husband's consent.
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woman → tell → consent
He was among thousands of insurgents who surrendered in late 2001 as a US-led coalition ousted the group.
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coalition → surrender → group
He was held for several years in US detention in Guantanamo Bay, but eventually released.
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He → hold → Bay
When the Taliban regained power, he became a governor - first in the province of Bamiyan, then when we met him in late June, in Sheberghan city in Jawzjan province.
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we → regain → province
He has recently become deputy commander of a military corps in the northern province of Kunduz.
asserted
He → become → Kunduz
Tapping on an old-style mobile with a tiny screen, he says a recent ban on smartphones for officials has slowed things down.
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ban → tap → things
"Before, you could send a quick message… sending documents and getting an answer fast."
uncertain
you → send → answer
If he says any more about the ban, "it will cause trouble", he adds.
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he → say → trouble
But in other ways his worldview seems largely unchanged from the Taliban's position 25 years ago.
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worldview → seem → position
Then, he was a military commander in Bamiyan, where the Taliban blew up ancient giant Buddha statues, triggering international shock and condemnation.
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Taliban → blow → shock
He initially tries to avoid our questions about the archaeological site, but eventually, he says: "I destroyed it with my own hands.
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I → try → hands
"Whatever we did and we do is in accordance with the guidance and God's law…
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we → do → guidance
We smash idols rather than sell them.
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We → smash → them
Why should I regret?
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I → regret → ?
In the capital Kabul, we meet another senior Taliban figure who swapped a violent past for a role with the ruling administration.
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who → meet → administration
Habibullah Badr drives us through the streets in an armoured car.
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Badr → drive → car
He says he was previously "responsible for the operations of suicide attackers" in Kabul.
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he → say → Kabul
…and 56 more, not listed.
The Aporia
