A 29-year-old Afghan student at
Perugia's University for Foreigners told ANSA Wednesday his
sisters will not be able to study in his homeland after the
Taliban's return to power in the country following a 20-year
US-led mission.
"Afghanistan will not have a future with the return of the
Taliban and I'm worried about my family," said Habib
Mahboobullah, who was forced to leave the country six year ago
"due to a problem with a very powerful Taliban, member of
parliament at the time, who wanted me dead".
Habib reached Italy in 2019 after travelling through Iran,
Turkey, Greece and lastly Norway, where his Afghan wife and
their almost two-year-old son live.
He is studying Italian with the help of the local branch of
Catholic charity Caritas.
"But in these days I can't study, my thought is just on my
mother, father and brothers and sisters who live in Baghlan, a
city six hours by car from Kabul".
Habib said he was "greatly saddened" by the scenes of the
Taliban takeover and said "America should not have left".
He said he did not believe the Islamaic Emirate's professions of
allowing girls to keep on studying and women to keep working,
albeit under sharia law.
"Now the girls in my country will have to stay shut up at home.
"None of my sisters has ever worn the veil and still less the
burqa.
"Now they will all have to wear it and they won't be free to
move around the city".
Habib said he had three dreams, of living with his wife and son
as soon as it is possible after COVID, opening an Afghan
restaurant in the centre of Perugia and "above all bringing my
family, which is living in Afghanistan, to Italy".
He said "another reason for this is that it will be the only way
to embrace them again, since I won't be able to go back to
Afghanistan as long as the Taliban are there".
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