The Taliban stunned the world by marching into Kabul on August 15, 2021, after a lightning offensive that capped a 20-year insurgency against the Western-backed government and the US and allied forces that propped it up. The end of fighting brought relief for many women – but harsh restrictions imposed by the new government are also causing despair. A network of dozens of women – once students, teachers or NGO workers, as well as housewives – have worked in secret to organise protests against the Taliban over the past six months, but are facing increasingly aggressive suppression.