Taliban Retribution as USAID Freezes Lifeline

New York, N.Y. — Laila Rahimi, 24, once dreamed of becoming Afghanistan’s first female astrophysicist. In 2021, she fled Kabul as the Taliban seized power, securing a USAID scholarship to study in Germany.

Today, that dream lies shattered. With USAID abruptly freezing funding for Afghan women’s education abroad, Laila faces an unthinkable choice: return to a homeland where the Taliban bans women from classrooms or remain in Europe, undocumented and destitute. “I escaped death once,” she says, her voice trembling. “Now, they’re sending us back to hell.”

USAID’s Lifeline and Its Collapse

For over a decade, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) funded scholarships for thousands of Afghan women to study abroad, symbolizing a commitment to gender equity post-9/11. These programs, often partnered with NGOs and universities, offered degrees in fields from engineering to public policy, aiming to cultivate future leaders.

However, in 2023, funding stalled abruptly—a freeze advocates link to lingering Trump-era aid cuts and shifting U.S. priorities. Over 500 women, including Laila, were notified their tuition and living stipends would cease, forcing many to abandon studies. “This isn’t just bureaucratic failure; it’s a moral betrayal,” says Jim Luce, whose J. Luce Foundation supported Afghan women pre-Taliban.

Impact: Forced Return and Peril

Without visas or income, hundreds of women now confront deportation. Those returning face a Taliban regime that has banned women from universities and erased their rights to work or travel freely.

Returnees with Western ties risk interrogation, detention, or forced “reeducation”—a Taliban euphemism for punitive indoctrination.

“They see us as traitors,” says Marwa Basir, 22, a medical student in Turkey, now packing her dormitory. Human Rights Watch reports a surge in Taliban violence against educated women, including public floggings and enforced disappearances.

Meanwhile, Germany and other host nations, overwhelmed by refugee crises, offer few pathways to residency. “We’re not just losing an education—we’re losing our lives,” Marwa adds.

Taliban’s War on Women

Since retaking power, the Taliban has systematically dismantled women’s freedoms. Secondary schools for girls remain shuttered; universities banned women in December 2022. Women activists have vanished into prisons, while strict hijab mandates and male guardianship laws erase their public presence.

A 2023 U.N. report notes a 65% increase in gender-based violence, with suicide rates among young women doubling. For returnees, Western education brands them as dissidents. “The Taliban views these women as existential threats,” explains Heather Barr of Human Rights Watch. “Their very existence defies the regime’s ideology.”

Voices of Outrage and Despair

Jim Luce, whose foundation aided Afghan orphans and scholars, condemns the freeze as “catastrophic.” “Trump’s policies gutted humanitarian aid, but the silence today is complicit. These women will be tortured—or worse.” Former USAID contractor Amina Saadat reveals internal debates: “Some argued Afghanistan was a ‘lost cause.’ But abandoning these scholars isn’t pragmatism; it’s cowardice.”

Online, campaigns like #SaveAfghanScholars trend, yet governments remain inert. “We’re begging for extensions, selling belongings to survive,” says Laila, now tutoring illegally. “The West gave us hope, then ripped it away.”

Political Reckoning

The freeze underscores broader failures in U.S. Afghan policy. While the Biden administration restored $1.1 billion in aid for humanitarian crises, education remains excluded—a move critics call short-sighted. “Investing in women’s education is counterterrorism,” argues Rep. Sara Jacobs (D-CA), urging legislative action.

Meanwhile, Trump-era sanctions on Taliban-held Afghanistan complicate aid delivery, paralyzing NGOs. “Geopolitics shouldn’t doom a generation,” argues Luce. With Congressional gridlock stalling reforms, advocates turn to private donors, but gaps persist. “Without systemic change, these stopgaps won’t save Laila,” warns Saadat.

As flights depart, Laila weighs risking deportation or hiding in Europe’s shadows. Her story mirrors hundreds of Afghan women—pioneers turned pawns in geopolitical calculus. “We’re not just statistics,” she implores. “We’re humans with dreams.” Their plight demands urgent global response, lest the Taliban’s war on women claim another victory.

Exiled Scholars, Abandoned Dreams: Afghan Women Face Taliban (March 9, 2025)