Good thing we expended all that American blood and treasure to fight the Afghan jihadists, eh? Meanwhile, note that the problem here is not just the Taliban, but the Afghan government -- both of which are committed to Sharia, which denies women basic rights. "Afghan women leave the country in fear of Taliban return," by Tracy McVeigh for the Guardian, May 26 (thanks to Banafsheh Zand):

A brain drain of bright young women is already taking place in Afghanistan before the 2014 handover that many fear will mean a reversal of advances in women's rights.

The lack of commitment by the Afghan government to equality and to tackling the high rates of ill-treatment of women in the home and in the workplace is raising real fears they will be at the bottom of the political agenda in the push for power after Nato forces leave the country.

Worsening security for civilians – casualties among ordinary Afghans have risen year on year for the last five years with 3,021 killed in 2011, and women are thought to be suffering disproportionately – has led to rising numbers of women and girls leaving education and the workforce and staying indoors, according to Guhramaana Kakar, a gender adviser to President Hamid Karzai.

Speaking to the... http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/may/26/afghan-women-security-fears-...