Last US soldier leaves Afghanistan
A photograph released by the US Department of Defense shows Maj. Gen. Christopher Donahue, the 82nd Airborne Division's commander, as he boards a C-17, ending the US mission in Kabul on August 30, 2021. Maj. Gen. Donahue was the last American soldier to leave Afghanistan.
The Taliban that stormed to power in mid-August after ousting the Western-back government have vowed to rule differently compared to their 1990s stint when girls and women were banned from education.
"The... people of Afghanistan will continue their higher education in the light of Sharia law in safety without being in a mixed male and female environment," Abdul Baqi Haqqani, the Taliban's acting minister for higher education said at a meeting with elders, known as a loya jirga, on Sunday.
He said the Taliban want to "create a reasonable and Islamic curriculum that is in line with our Islamic, national and historical values and, on the other hand, be able to compete with other countries".
Girls and boys will also be segregated at primary and secondary schools, which was already common throughout deeply conservative Afghanistan.
The group have pledged to respect progress made in women's rights, but only according to their strict interpretation of Islamic law.
Whether women can work, get education at all levels and be able to mix with men have been some of the most pressing questions.
But the Taliban rebranding is being treated with scepticism, with many questioning whether the group will stick to its pledges.
During their previous rule, the Taliban excluded women from public life, entertainment was banned and brutal punishments were imposed -- such as stoning to death for adultery.
The Taliban have yet to announce their government, saying they would wait until after the departure of US and foreign forces.
