"After the Taliban closed universities for female students, a 20-year-old Afghan scholar named Natkai, a pseudonym used for her safety, faced a bleak future. Her only glimmer of hope was securing a scholarship to study abroad.

Under the harsh rule of the Taliban, women who opposed them faced severe consequences. Nonetheless, Natkai persisted in her studies, despite the slim chances of ever attending a university within her homeland.

Eventually, her determination paid off when she received a scholarship to pursue her education at the University of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, generously provided by an Emirati billionaire. These scholarships for Afghan women were announced in December 2022 in response to the Taliban's ban on women's access to higher education.

It is reported that a total of 100 Afghan women have been fortunate enough to receive these scholarships, and some Afghan students living abroad have already made their way to foreign countries.

On July 23rd, Natkai bid farewell to her family and headed to the airport with high hopes. However, her dreams were abruptly shattered.

Upon presenting their tickets and student visas to Taliban officials, they were informed that girls were not permitted to leave Afghanistan on student visas. Natkai is just one of approximately 60 young women who were turned away at the airport.

Heart-wrenching photos shared with the BBC depict these young girls, clad in black hijabs or headscarves, standing beside their luggage, overcome with shock and despair.

The Taliban's restrictions on women's travel are stringent, allowing them to go abroad only when accompanied by their husbands or a male relative, such as a brother, uncle, or father, known as a 'mahram' or male escort. Even this was insufficient to guarantee their departure.

Natkai shares that three girls who did have a male escort were initially on the plane but were subsequently removed by officials from the Vice and Virtue ministry.

Unfortunately, the fear instilled by the Taliban regime has left many of these students too frightened to speak to the media about their experiences."

Shams Ahmad, who accompanied his sister to the airport, shared the distressing ordeal. He expressed, "The scholarship gave my sister new hope after the closure of universities here. She left home with optimism but returned in tears, her rights stripped away."

Ahmad also revealed that some women had even borrowed money to secure a visa for a male companion, hoping it would allow them to travel, but they were still prevented from doing so.

"Some of these girls are incredibly vulnerable and impoverished. They can't even afford the 400 Afghanis (£4; $5) needed for document verification requested by the foreign affairs ministry."

Both the University and the individual sponsoring the scholarships, have confirmed that the young women were indeed stopped at the airport.

This recent action by the Taliban has sparked outrage among rights organizations and diplomats. Heather Barr from Human Rights Watch remarked, "This is an important and alarming step beyond the extraordinary level of cruelty the Taliban already engage in by denying girls and women education. This is holding them prisoner to prevent others from helping them study."

Shkula Zadran, the former United Nations youth representative from Afghanistan, urged the university not to give up on these girls.

However, the Taliban has not issued any statement or clarification regarding this incident. A spokesperson for the Vice and Virtue ministry, Mohammad Sadiq Akif Muhajir, claimed they were not aware of the situation, and Zabihullah Mujahid, a senior Taliban spokesman, declined to comment, citing his travel and lack of information.

Natkai, who is now in a state of despair, graduated from high school and was preparing for the university entrance exam when the Taliban took control on August 15, 2021. She believed she had found a way to pursue her dreams, but she has lost hope in the Taliban, stating, "I have nothing to say to the Taliban because they don't accept or respect women."

She implores the world not to abandon Afghan girls and their right to education, reflecting on her missed opportunity in a country where being a girl is treated as a crime, and she is uncertain about her future.