The Afghan Woman Leader Who Stayed Under Taliban Rule

August 15, 2021 was a normal workday for Nilab Mobarez, secretary-general of the Afghan Red Crescent Society (ARCS), a national humanitarian organization of more than 2,000 employees and several thousand volunteers across Afghanistan.

"We did our managerial meeting at 11am followed by some administrative routines," Mobarez recalled, her last day at work.

At about 12 p.m., a colleague showed her a text messa