Three Years After Afghanistan’s Fall: The Taliban’s Resurgence

On the third anniversary of the fall of Afghanistan's republic government, prominent domestic and foreign political figures have criticized the Taliban for continuing ethnic discrimination. They have called on the Taliban to end violence and suppression of Afghan citizens under the guise of ethnic differences. These politicians have also warned that if the Taliban do not...

In the past three years, the Taliban have consistently detained, tortured, or killed former military personnel without due process. During their acts of revenge against ex-military personnel, they arrested and killed dozens in the Paktika province. The Taliban have also threatened the families and relatives of former soldiers in Paktika and other provinces, warning them not...

To mark the third anniversary of Afghanistan's fall to the Taliban, Afghan Witness has released a report titled "Erasure of Women," exposing the gender-based violence under Taliban governance. According to the organization, women are suffering from a "systematic erasure" from public life. The report reveals that three years into the Taliban's rule over Afghanistan, an analysis...

As Taliban fighters and suicide bombers arrived, people's bitter and painful memories of the first Taliban regime resurfaced. Despite their promises and claims of change, the Taliban continue to exclude women from all areas of life. Their widespread restrictions have led to a rise in forced and early marriages in Herat. Some girls, coerced by their...

The Taliban have imposed numerous bans and restrictions on female journalists over the past three years. According to the Taliban's directives, women are prohibited from appearing on television shows and hosting programs without covering their faces. Additionally, the Taliban have banned the presence of female voices in the media in several provinces and ordered local radio...

In May 2021, hoping to participate in potential negotiations between the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and the Taliban, which were supposed to take place in Istanbul, I traveled to that city. The initial talks were postponed due to Ramadan, and then they used the excuse of Eid, claiming that holding the talks was impossible. However, the...

The Taliban and the Doha Agreement were merely excuses for the downfall of a political order that was already shaky, unstable, riddled with corruption, and plagued by negative rivalries. The fundamental principles and values of the Republic, under the leadership of Mr. Ghani and his partners, had internally collapsed over seven years of division, corruption, and...

The story isn't just about the fall of a regime. That collapse left behind countless wounds and pains, each chronicled in notes. Thousands of lives were shattered, countless youths fled their homeland, brilliant minds were exiled, and hopes and dreams were buried. The tale of the fall is the story of lives extinguished—young people who, over...

Over the past three years, the Taliban have imposed severe restrictions on women in Afghanistan, barring them from working in government institutions and international organizations within the country. This group has also sidelined female university professors, leaving only teachers of lower primary grades and health workers as exceptions, while all other women remain confined to their...

Over the past three years, the Taliban have publicly flogged 715 individuals across the country. Data from the Taliban's Supreme Court and reports by the Hasht-e Subh Daily show that 221 people were flogged in 2024 (1403 SH), 104 in 2023 (1402 SH), 386 in 2022 (1401 SH), and 4 in 2021 (1400 SH) across 31...