Afghan Taliban Celebrates 5th Anniversary Of Return To Power As Restrictions Continue

Kabul was filled with white Taliban flags, military vehicles, music and cheering crowds on Saturday as the Taliban marked five years since returning to power in Afghanistan. Supporters waved flags from cars, motorbikes and rickshaws, while armed Taliban forces guarded key roads and checkpoints. At the Loya Jirga hall, Taliban leaders, foreign representatives and thousands of people attended the main ceremony. No women were present.

For some Afghans, the anniversary is a celebration of something they had not experienced for years: streets without large-scale war. Before the Taliban takeover in 2021, daily life was shaped by Taliban attacks, US and NATO operations, bombings and fear. Since taking power, the Taliban has largely ended that war. Many people in Kabul say they now feel safer travelling around the city.

But the change has come with a heavy price.

Before 2021, Afghan women and girls could attend schools and universities, work in offices, run businesses, appear on television and take part in public life. Those opportunities have sharply shrunk under Taliban rule. Girls above the age of 12 are barred from secondary education, while women cannot attend universities and face restrictions on jobs, travel, parks, gyms and sports. About 2.4 million girls are now excluded from secondary education.

Women have also been pushed out of much of public life. UN Women says half of the women it surveyed leave home only once or twice a month. Strict rules on dress, movement and contact with men have made ordinary activities harder.

The wider picture is also difficult. Afghans are asking for jobs, education and better living conditions, while poverty, aid cuts, drought and hunger continue to affect families. The country is safer from large-scale war, but economic hardship remains severe.

The Taliban says it has brought peace and stability. The UN, however, warns that Afghanistan is facing a deep human rights crisis, particularly for women and girls.

Five years on, Afghanistan looks quieter, but not necessarily freer. For many people, the Taliban ended one kind of fear while creating a very different kind of uncertainty about work, education, rights and the future.