Indian woman, stranded in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan for 3 years, finally returns home with daughter

In a story that could make a cinematic thriller, Indian woman Iqra Jamal and her two-and-a-half-year-old daughter finally returned home on Wednesday after more than three years of confinement in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan.

Iqra, who is married to an Afghan national, had traveled to Afghanistan just before the Taliban’s dramatic resurgence in August 2021. As chaos unfolded with the militant group seizing control, she and her husband found themselves stranded, unable to board evacuation flights back to India.

Amidst the upheaval, Iqra discovered she was pregnant. Her plight first came to light in January 2022 when TOI reported her desperate situation—five months into her pregnancy, trapped in a country under a radical regime.

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With dwindling financial resources and an uncertain future, Iqra gave birth to her daughter in Afghanistan. Her delivery was made possible only through the generosity of Indian citizens who responded to an urgent appeal by activist Rahul Kapoor, raising funds for the medical expenses.

"I have lived through immense fear, depression, and anxiety, especially in the early months of Taliban's return," Iqra recalls, encapsulating the harrowing ordeal she endured.

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(Image for representational purposes only)