The night Kabul fell to the Taliban, a young lawyer named Nargis Baran was holed up in her apartment there, scrolling through news reports in disbelief. It was Aug. 15, 2021, and the U.S.-backed president of Afghanistan had fled the country as militants closed in on Kabul, the capital. Their swift advance shocked Western officials and the world, bringing the Taliban back to power after nearly 20 years of war with the United States and allied forces. Thousands of people surged toward the airport, desperate to board the last flights out as the city descended into chaos. Ms. Baran, then 26, was an unmarried woman living with her widowed mother, and now they were afraid to walk outside.

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Persons: Nargis Baran, Baran, —, ‘, ’ ” Locations: Kabul, U.S, Afghanistan, United States