Women in Afghanistan are worried that the freedoms they have won since U.S. forces toppled the brutal Taliban regime 10 years ago will be squandered if the Islamic hard-liners return to power through a U.S.-led peace process.
Brazen public executions by the Taliban this month in provinces not traditionally part of their stronghold underscore the militants' resurgence in Afghanistan.
"If there are negotiations with the Taliban, women's rights will be the first to go, and women will be forced to stay at home all over again," Ms. Naderi said in a phone interview from Kabul.
While some women, like Ms. Naderi, say peace cannot be achieved through negotiations with terrorists, others, like Ms. Sakhi, say women's groups need to be less rigid in their stances on reconciliation.
