Afghanistan, Five Years Later: Life Under Taliban Rule

Five years ago, the Taliban took control of Afghanistan after U.S. troops pulled out of the country. The Taliban are a strict religious group that now runs the Afghan government. A journalist from The Economist recently traveled across Afghanistan to see what life is like for the people who stayed behind. Reporter Tom Sasse spent about ten days on the road, visiting Kabul, Herat, and Kandahar.

The first thing Sasse noticed was that the country felt surprisingly safe. Violence has dropped sharply since the Taliban took power, and city streets seemed calm. But the safety comes with strict rules. Taliban fighters stand guard in cities, and a special police force patrols streets to make sure people follow the Taliban's laws.

Music is banned in public. Women must cover themselves completely when they go outside. Men are expected to grow beards. These rules are enforced across the country by the Taliban's vice and virtue police.

Life is very hard for most Afghans. In one mountain village called Surubi, east of Kabul, a village elder told Sasse, 'We have peace, but our pockets are empty.' Many people in Afghanistan are hungry, poor, and out of work. Healthcare has suffered too, because foreign aid money has been cut back and hospitals lack basic supplies.

The situation is especially hard for women and girls. The Taliban has banned girls from attending secondary school and blocked women from going to universities. Women have been removed from many jobs and public spaces. These bans were ordered by the Taliban's top leader, known as the Amir.

Sasse visited a madrasa — a type of religious school — in Kabul where some teenage girls were getting an education in secret. The girls were happy to be learning, but they knew their choices in life would be very limited. One girl told Sasse she had little hope for the future. It was, he said, heartbreaking to hear.

About six million Afghan refugees have been sent back to Afghanistan from nearby countries like Iran and Pakistan. Many returned with nothing and are struggling to survive. The Taliban leader has also tightened his grip on power, building a private army and pushing out more moderate members who wanted gradual change.

Only Russia officially recognizes the Taliban government. But countries like China, India, and Turkey have set up trade and diplomatic ties with the Taliban. Western countries tried to pressure the Taliban by cutting aid and freezing Afghanistan's bank accounts, but those tactics did not work.

Now, some Western nations are starting to talk directly with the Taliban. Sasse believes the best thing the outside world can do is keep sending humanitarian aid and slowly support more moderate voices inside the country. He warns that real change in Afghanistan will take a very long time.