Afghan female leaders urge Trump administration to support them in Taliban talks

In interviews, several prominent female Afghan leaders said these talks are an issue of life and death for Afghan women, and they will not allow their country to return to the dark days of oppression and abuse under a potential peace agreement with the Taliban. But several female Afghan leaders said the U.S. has the diplomatic and military power to force the Taliban's hand on respecting the Afghan constitution and its protections like for women's rights. In the U.S.-Taliban talks, she added, "Women's rights are very important to be discussed." The Afghan people have also demanded that women being protected is part of any deal, according to Roya Rahmani, Afghanistan's first female ambassador to the U.S. The country recently held a special meeting of nationwide leaders called a loya jirga, where nearly a third of representatives were women and women were elected to leadership positions -- as 40% of deputies and over 50% of secretaries. While the U.S. hopes the future Afghan government includes elements of the current government and its constitution, women fear a return to darker days if the Taliban gains power without first committing to change their views. "Taliban says it has changed its views on women, but unfortunately, we see that in some of the women's experiences from some provinces and communities where insurgents continue, such attacks have climbed," said Mahboob, who also heads the celebrated Afghan girls' robotics team.