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Many thousands of Afghans are desperate to flee the country, fearing a return to the Taliban's hardline rule of the late 1990s. There's particular concern about the fate and role of women, with one UN official warning of - what he called - a "gender emergency" in the country.

A presenter who presented a daily two-hour morning programme on state-run TV was turned away from her office by a Taliban fighter last Monday, the day after the militants took control of Kabul. She has since gone into hiding, but is terrified of the retaliation of the Taliban and her family being harmed. She says that many programmes have been replaced with footage of the Koran being recited.

‘For the first time in my life I faced a fighter from the Taliban and they told me. cover your face. Go to your home, we don't need you. … They are searching for female presenters in Herat, they are searching for female presenters in Kabul.’

Photo: A Taliban fighter walks past a beauty salon with images of women defaced Credit: Getty Images

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