Afghan students graduate in Iraq after Taliban takeover

Shakila Mohammadi and Esmatullah Sahak walk at the campus of the American University in Sulaimaniya, while both of them left Afghanistan to finish their studies, Sulaimaniya, Iraq, June 14, 2022. Picture taken June 14, 2022. REUTERS/Mohammed Jalal

A week before she left Afghanistan in October 2021, Shakila Mohammadi visited her hometown on a short break from university.

"At that time I did not know that this was the last time I could visit my favorite place," the 22-year-old law student said from Sulaimaniya, in Iraq's Kurdistan region, where she has been living since.

Esmatullah Sahak shows the photo of his graduation day to his fellow after they left Afghanistan to continue their studies in Sulaimaniya, Iraq, June 13, 2022. Picture taken June 13, 2022. REUTERS/Mohammed Jalal

"But on the day of our evacuation, when I said goodbye to my mother and father, I realised that I would not be able to see them for a very long time", she said.

Since the Taliban took over Kabul in August 2021, girls have largely been banned from going to secondary school. The campus of Afghanistan's American university was closed and its students were left uncertain of their future.

"I anticipated that my education would literally end," said Esmatullah Sahak, another Afghan student in Sulaimaniya.

Shakila Mohammadi and Esmatullah Sahak speak in library at the American University in Sulaimaniya, while both of them left Afghanistan to finish their studies in Sulaimaniya, Iraq, June 13, 2022. Picture taken June 13, 2022. REUTERS/Mohammed Jalal

After several weeks of online studies, Mohammadi and Sahak were offered the chance to travel to Iraqi Kurdistan to continue their education at the American University of Iraq Sulaimani.

They said they were worried at first, citing Iraq's long history of conflict. "I was really afraid to come here. I thought I was not going to a better place," Mohammadi said.

As she settled down in northern Iraq's Kurdistan region, usually considered more stable than other parts of Iraq, Mohammadi said her fears quickly disappeared and she felt at peace.

Shakila Mohammadi and Esmatullah Sahak walk at the American University in Sulaimaniya, while both of them left Afghanistan to finish their studies, in Sulaimaniya, Iraq, June 14, 2022. Picture taken June 14, 2022. REUTERS/Mohammed Jalal

Of the 110 Afghan students that travelled to Sulaimaniya to complete their studies, 32 graduated in the beginning of June, including Mohammadi and Sahak.

Now, with their bachelor degree in their pocket, they want to complete their master's degrees abroad, hoping to one day be able to return home.

To Sahak, the opportunity of completing his studies is a privilege that drove his choice to become a teacher.

Shakila Mohammadi study at her dorm room after leaving Afghanistan to finish her studies at the American University in Sulaimaniya, Iraq, June 14, 2022. . REUTERS/Mohammed Jalal

Mohammadi hopes to become a lawyer and "show the community and society that girls can practice law internationally".

According to the UNHCR, Afghans make up one of the largest refugee populations worldwide. There are 2.6 million registered Afghan refugees, of whom 2.2 million are registered in Iran and Pakistan alone.

(Reporting by Charlotte Bruneau, Editing by William Maclean)