As the world watched in surprise as the Taliban seamlessly reoccupied Afghanistan, the US president Joe Biden firmly proclaimed that it was now time for the people of Afghanistan to stand up and fight for their own country. In response, many of those who disagreed with the sudden US withdrawal feigned concern over what would now happen to those who had turned their backs on the Taliban and their strict interpretation of Sharia law. Since the ousting of the Taliban in 2001, many women obtained employment, attended school and had a large degree of personal freedom not seen since the establishment of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan. Men had shaved their beards, enjoyed music and indulged in the various niches within ‘western’ culture. Many women and men had found employment in the government which had been established in the wake of the US invasion. The government, army and police had employed hundreds of thousands of Afghans who would now fall under the suspicion of the Taliba...