♪ Coming up on Doc World... SHAKILA (speaking local language): Two extraordinary women fight for equality and democracy in Afghanistan.

NILOFAR (speaking local language): SHAKILA: But as the U.S. withdraws troops and aid, Nilofar and Shakila face renewed threats.

NILOFAR: OFFICER (speaking local language): SHAKILA: NILOFAR: They struggle with difficult choices amid the increasing violence.

SHAKILA: NILOFAR: "Facing the Dragon," next, on Doc World.

♪ Funding for this program was provided bythe Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

Additional funding was provided by the Wyncote Foundation.

♪ ♪ SEDIKA MOJADIDI: I have a complicated relationship to this place.

♪ I hate it as much as I love it.

(car honking in distance) But ever since my parents immigrated from Afghanistan to America when I was a child, I have felt pulled back.

(car horns honking) I've filmed here over the years, always trying to understand the country where I was born.

♪ Since 2002, when the Americans invaded, I knew they would leave one day.

I was afraid things would fall to pieces.

I felt someone needed to be a witness.

♪ MOJADIDI (speaking local language): MOJADIDI: This is the story of two women, a journalist... (speaking local language MOJADIDI: ...and a politician, who were willing to let me into their lives.

(Mojadidi speaking local language) ♪ ♪ (people talking in background) WOMAN: NILOFAR: MAN: NILOFAR: ♪ (car horns honking in distance) (people talking in background, laughing) ♪ MOJADIDI (speaking local language): NILOFAR: ♪ (birds chirping) (child babbling) (child crying) MAN (on phone): NILOFAR: (child cries) NILOFAR: CHILD: NILOFAR: (child exclaims) NILOFAR: (child speaking) NILOFAR: ♪ (Shakila clears throat) ♪ ♪ MOJADIDI (speaking local language): (vehicles honking) WOMAN: (woman 2 laughing) WOMAN: SHAKILA: WOMAN: SHAKILA: (car honks) (talking softly) MAN: SHAKILA: MAN: SHAKILA: (Shakila continues speaking) (car horn honks in distance) ♪ MOJADIDI: (explosion roars in distance) (baby crying, explosion roars in distance) SHAKILA: MAN: SHAKILA: MOHAMMAD (on phone): MOHAMMAD: ♪ (wind blowing strongly) ♪ (man talking in background) SHAKILA: (sighs) ♪ OFFICER: SHAKILA: (officer speaking local language) SHAKILA: (people talking in background) (woman speaks softly) SHAKILA: MAN: MAN 2: SHAKILA: MAN 2: (talking indistinctly) SHAKILA: OFFICER: SHAKILA: OFFICER 2: OFFICER 1: MOJADIDI: SHAKILA: OFFICER 1: MAN: SHAKILA: OFFICER 2: SHAKILA: OFFICER 2: SHAKILA: ♪ (crowd murmuring) (man speaking on P.A.)

♪ (talking in background) NILOFAR: (talking in background) ♪ NILOFAR: (birds chirping) (talking in background) ♪ ♪ MAN: (all chanting): (men talking in background) (stones click) (man yelling) (men clamoring) (people talking in background) CLERK: SPEAKER: NILOFAR (voiceover): (people talking in background) (speaking in local language) (explosion roars, people screaming) REPORTER: 19 people were injured in Kabul this morning when a Taliban suicide bomber and six gunmen launched an attack on the country's parliament.

(alarm blaring, horn honking) (people talking excitedly) (whistle blowing) NILOFAR: (speaking local language) NILOFAR: (speaking local language) MOJADIDI: (Mojadidi exclaims) MOJADIDI: (explosion roars) REPORTER: Chaos in the center of Kabul after a car bombing.

Attackers are thought to have targeted the van of local TV news station TOLO.

REPORTER 2: The news channel said some of its employees were among the dead.

(man groaning) (people talking in background) SHAKILA: MOJADIDI: SHAKILA: (speaking softly) NAZIA: (exhales sharply) NAZIA: (people talking in background) MAN: SHAKILA: MAN: (people talking in background) SHAKILA: MOJADIDI: ♪ (car horns honking) (man talking on loudspeaker) MOJADIDI: Days passed, and I didn't hear from Shakila.

She didn't show up for work.

Didn't return my calls.

(car horns honking) She disappeared.

♪ (talking in background) (doorbell rings) How are you?

Have you been doing your homework?

- Yeah.

- Yeah?

Have you learnt your words?

- Yes.

- Very good.

Have you been practicing this one?

- "Pup is up."

- Okay, now, Mohammad, you read the next page.

- "Cup, pup..." - Shh.

"Cup, pup, pup... in cup."

MOHAMMAD: It's a silly book.

TEACHER: It is a bit silly, isn't it?

MOHAMMAD: But it's funny.

TEACHER: But it's a good way to learn to read.

(hissing) NILOFAR: (Nilofar continues speaking) (Ariana exclaims, Nilofar responds) NILOFAR: Salaam.

ASIF: ASIF and BOY: (Asif exclaims) ASIF: (Nilofar laughs) (Nilofar laughs) NILOFAR: ASIF: (exclaiming) ASIF: Dinner is ready.

(talking softly in background) BOY: NILOFAR: ♪ ♪ MOJADIDI: What exactly does your mom do in the government?

Have you seen her on TV before?

- Yeah, she talks.

- Yeah, she talks a lot.

MOJADIDI: She what?

- She talks.

- She talks.

A lot, like, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

Race.

MOJADIDI: How do you feel about your mom going today?

- Bad.

- I'm sad.

MOJADIDI: Can you tell me why?

- Um, because we will miss her and she will never sleep with me again.

MOJADIDI: Do you want to go back to Afghanistan?

- Never.

- Never.

MOJADIDI: Why?

- (responds softly) - I don't want to be dead.

- Yeah, me, too.

MOJADIDI: Do you think that's what would happen to you if you go?

- Yes.

- Yes.

- That's happened to everyone.

- People are so dead right now in Afghanistan.

So much.

NILOFAR: - Okay!

NILOFAR: - Okay!

NILOFAR: MOHAMMAD: NILOFAR: No crying.

- No crying.

- No crying.

- Yes, no crying.

Don't worry about us.

Okay?

(crying) (crying and yelling) (Asif speaking) BOY: ASIF: (boy crying) (exhaling) (sobbing) BOY: NILOFAR: BOY (crying): (Asif speaking in background) ♪ (voicemail beeps) MOJADIDI: (voicemail beeps) SHAKILA: ♪ SHAKILA: MOJADIDI: SHAKILA: (voice breaking): SHAKILA: (man speaking) SHAKILA: MOJADIDI: After Shakila and her family left with a smuggler, trying to get to Germany, I followed her trail.

♪ MOJADIDI (on voicemail): MOHAMMAD (on voicemail): (Mojadidi laughs) SHAKILA: MOJADIDI and SHAKILA: (Mojadidi asking question) SHAKILA: (laughs) SHAKILA: ♪ ♪ MARIAM (weeping): NILOFAR: MARIAM (weeping): (all crying) WOMAN (crying): NILOFAR: WOMAN: (all weeping) (Nilofar praying quietly) (saying prayer) (gasping and crying) MAN: WOMAN: (voice breaking) NILOFAR: MAN: (car horn honks) (softly): ♪ (whistle blows) (whistle blowing) ♪ (speaking softly) (speaking German): MOJADIDI: ♪ (wind blowing gently, car horn honking) (people talking in background) (Asif speaking on phone) ZAMZAM (on phone): "I can read with my eyes shut."

ASIF: "Open."

- "Open"?

ASIF: Mm-hmm.

- "I can read much more..." (Nilofar greeting child) ARIANA: NILOFAR: ARIANA: NILOFAR: ARIANA: NILOFAR: (phone buzzes and beeps) ♪ (sighs) ♪ Mm-hmm.

(sighs): (sniffles) NILOFAR and MOJADIDI: (phone rings, Nilofar answers) ♪ ♪ ♪ Funding for this program was provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

Additional funding was provided by the Wyncote Foundation.