She was told to marry in a country which bans girls' education. So she got in a taxi and fled
Key takeaways
- But Alia, who is 19, and her cousin weren't stopped at any Taliban checkpoints, and made it to the capital.
- "I made up an excuse to my family saying I was coming here to meet my friends and former classmates.
- Instead, she arrived in Kabul with a plan: she enrolled in an English language course.
Why this matters: a developing story that could shape the day's news cycle.
Yogita Limaye South Asia and Afghanistan correspondent, in Kabul BBC/Imogen Anderson Alia travelled to the Afghan capital to escape the prospect of marriage as her only option Alia - whose name we have changed for her safety - travelled hundreds of miles from her village to Kabul to escape marriage.
The journey by taxi last year with her female cousin - covered from head to toe, only their eyes visible, as the rules decree - was an exceptional thing to do, and risky in Afghanistan, where at any moment they might be caught by the Taliban inspectors enforcing rules banning women traveling long distances without a male relative escorting them.
But Alia, who is 19, and her cousin weren't stopped at any Taliban checkpoints, and made it to the capital.