Millions of girls joined Zahra in receiving an education when the Taliban were ousted from government.
But in 2021, Western forces withdrew from the country and the fundamentalist group quickly regained control.
“The day the Taliban returned to power, things collapsed in our lives,” Zahra says.
“It was about the collapse of freedom of women, of hopes for the future.”
In her book, The Vanishing Girl of Kabul, Zahra recounts the palpable fear she felt as the Taliban took one city after another.
“It was the most difficult moment of my life, [making] a decision in a minute to leave behind everything that we built – even my parents, not knowing if I would see them again.
“Thanks to God, the UK government gave us this chance to be safe, but I still feel like fleeing the country is not a solution. Freedom has a cost.”
She is now rebuilding her life in the UK with her parents and siblings, and hopes to “find a sense of home”.
“I will continue telling the stories of Afghan women until they reclaim their rights,” she says.
“The Taliban is a gender war. Hundreds of women are banned from public space and public life.
“It is really heartbreaking that history is repeating around us.”
Girls over the age of 12 have been barred from attending school since the Taliban returned to power.
Zahra says: “I’m sure women and girls are still trying to change their identity – but it’s not a solution.”
Do you have a story suggestion for Cambridgeshire? Contact us below.