Afghanistan's Taliban break out of international isolation five years after returning to power

Neighboring capitals now engage with Kabul over regional trade routes, while American and European officials are negotiating with the regime in the name of counterterrorism and the return of failed asylum seekers to Afghanistan.

Neighboring capitals now engage with Kabul over regional trade routes, while American and European officials are negotiating with the regime in the name of counterterrorism and the return of failed asylum seekers to Afghanistan.

A visit to a market, a medical appointment, or a family gathering is no longer judged only by necessity, but also by the possibility of being questioned, humiliated, or detained.

Five years on from seizing power in Kabul on August 15 2021 and consolidating its hold through the whole of Afghanistan, the Taliban claims to have ended the country’s decades-long war and achieved security. International troops have withdrawn and the former Islamic Republic of Afghanistan has collapsed. Daily security

As Afghanistan’s hardline Islamist movement marks five years back in power, the anniversary has drawn renewed global attention to a crisis that had faded from view. The baby’s bottle contained no milk, only weak, diluted tea. Speaking from Kabul, the UN World Food Programme’s country director for Afghanistan recalled t