Afghanistan

The September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks brought about many changes in American society.

The government established a new department to deal with terrorist threats. Airports instituted tough new security rules. Public awareness of Islam and Muslim countries grew and - in many cases - so did distrust and hate.

Reporting from Kabul, Afghanistan- Five years ago, when Afghanistan was last preparing to hold parliamentary elections, Rahela Alamshahi would sometimes hop into her car and drive herself to campaign events in her home province.

Afghans go to the polls on September 18 to elect a total of 249 members to the country's lower house of parliament, or Wolesi Jirga. Here are some of the main issues surrounding the election:

Intimidation of candidates for the upcoming vote for the lower house of parliament in Afghanistan undermines reconciliation, Washington said.

Afghanistan is preparing for Sept. 18 elections for the Wolesi Jirga, the lower house of parliament.

Afghanistan's transition toward leading its own security efforts must include the rights of Afghan women.

Pulling Western troops out of Afghanistan will condemn mothers and children to suffer, a leading Afghan women's advocate has warned.

Sakena Yacoobi said yesterday that foreign soldiers - including from Australia - were needed for at least another five years in a conflict where extremists deliberately poison the drinking water at schools to scare away children.

The small classroom is abuzz with conversations in Persian. But it ends as soon as a young woman in salwar-kameez enters and starts teaching English. Meet Aarzoo Hussain, an Afghan national, who is fiercely independent and wants womenfolk from her country to lead a free life too. Hussain is happy that her family chose to come to India and she is away from the land of “tyranny and subjugation”.

Ten campaign workers for a female parliamentary candidate in western Afghanistan were abducted by gunmen Thursday and the Taliban claimed responsibility for two deadly attacks, one that killed eight Afghan police officers and another that killed two Spanish police trainers and a translator a day earlier.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai said Sunday that he will not sacrifice women's rights in any peace deal with the Taliban.

The story of the young Afghan woman whose nose and ears were hacked off by the Taliban has faded from the headlines, but Bibi Aisha's road to recovery has only just begun.