She was given 10 minutes to choose: Be killed by the Taliban or leave her people behind
After ending up on the Taliban's kill list, Benafsha Efaf had to abandon the dozens of women's shelters she built in Afghanistan and flee with the help of Israeli activists. From her exile in Switzerland, she now works to save those left behind
Benafsha Efaf, founder of shelters for battered women in Afghanistan, now lives in Switzerland after fleeing the Taliban. Credit: Anita Affentranger
After ending up on the Taliban's kill list, Benafsha Efaf had to abandon the dozens of women's shelters she built in Afghanistan and flee with the help of Israeli activists. From her exile in Switzerland, she now works to save those left behind
12:45 AM • December 26 2025 IST
Benafsha Efaf had just 10 minutes to decide whether to accept an offer to be extricated from Afghanistan. On one hand, she and her husband were in the Taliban's crosshairs, and she feared deeply for the safety of her 8-year-old daughter. On the other, leaving meant abandoning her parents, her siblings, and her life's work: creation of a network of 33 shelters for women suffering from domestic violence.
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She Had 10 Minutes to Choose: Be Killed by the Taliban or Leave Her People Behind
