An Afghan woman's dashed hopes

Khurram said female students who'd made it to Kabul University early Sunday were told good-bye by their professors, who said they were unsure if the girls would be allowed to return. Photo: AFP.

Hunkering indoors and watching her country fall to the Taliban, one young woman in Afghanistan's capital of Kabul described the anxiety, fears and dashed hopes her generation feels as embassies evacuate staff and the government all but crumbles.

But the day wasn't supposed to be like this.