Harrowing video shows Afghan woman pleading for help from an American soldier: 'Taliban coming for me'

• A video posted by an exiled Iranian journalist shows a woman begging an American soldier for help.
• The woman in the video appears to be crying and says the Taliban will come for her.
• The last time the Taliban took over Afghanistan in the 1990s women became severely oppressed under its rule.

A heartbreaking video shows a woman appearing to beg an American soldier to help her and her family escape the Taliban in Afghanistan.

The 14-second video, posted by exiled Iranian journalist and human rights activist Masih Alinejad, shows a woman behind bars trying to communicate with an American soldier.

"Help, help," she says, crying and in between gasps.

"I want to help family. Taliban coming for me," she says.

Alinejad in her tweet said the woman is begging for help from an airport, where she and others wait for a chance to leave Afghanistan.

The Taliban took over Afghanistan following President Joe Biden's decision to withdraw US troops from the region. In its takeover, the Taliban renamed the country to the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, reverting back to the same name used during the last time the regime took power, in 1996.

Under the Taliban's rule at that time, women were severely oppressed, facing restrictions like being barred from working or attending schools.

This time, the militant group has promised to respect women's rights "within Islamic law." But human rights activists and Afghan women do not believe the Taliban will keep this vow.

Taliban fighters "will come for people like me and kill me," said Zarifa Ghafari, Afghanistan's youngest female mayor.

It's not clear yet what rules the Taliban will implement for women. But already there have been signs that women will face consequences if they do not follow the Taliban's orders.

Taliban fighters, for example, set an Afghan woman on fire for feeding them "bad cooking," Insider's Joshua Zitser reported.

Taliban fighters also instructed a reporter from CNN to step aside while reporting on camera because she's a woman.