The images are harrowing. Women, shrouded in burqas and defiance, marching through the dusty streets of Kabul. They are demanding the return of their schools and their jobs. But the Taliban are not listening. They are beating them, firing tear gas, even live rounds. The death toll is mounting. And yet these women keep coming.
This is not a flash in the pan. It is a sustained challenge to the new order. A challenge which, if it fails, will leave these women even more isolated than before. But for now, they are a rallying cry. A symbol.
Enter the British aid agencies. They are not waiting for Whitehall to decide its next move. Save the Children, Oxfam, the British Red Cross: they are issuing joint statements. Demanding emergency protection from the UN Security Council. Threatening to pause operations if their female staff cannot work. It is a diplomatic bloodbath in waiting.
I have spoken to three Whitehall sources today. The mood in the Foreign Office is grim. They are torn between a desire to intervene and a fear of making the situation worse. One source told me: 'We cannot abandon these women. But we cannot invade Kabul again either.' A difficult balance.
The PM's office is staying schtum. No comment. That is telling. They are waiting to see how the street choreography plays out. But the pressure is building. Backbench MPs on both sides are asking questions. The Sunday Times has a splash lined up for the weekend: 'Save our sisters: MPs demand action.' This could become a defining issue for the government.
Let me tell you what the insiders are really saying. There is a growing belief that the Taliban are testing the West's resolve. They want to see what they can get away with. If we blink, they will push harder. But if we act, they will use it to rally their own base. It is a damned if you do, damned if you don't scenario.
The aid agencies are not helping. They are loud and they are coordinated. But they are also desperate. Their local staff are at risk. One HR director told me they have lost contact with twelve female employees in the last 24 hours. Twelve. That is the human cost behind the headlines.
The UN will debate this tomorrow. But debates are cheap. Action is expensive. And the West is war-weary. So watch this space. The women of Kabul will not go away. And neither will the story.
Eleanor Rigby, Political Bureau Chief
