Afghanistan: five years of Taliban rule put to the test

The Taliban marked five years in power on August 15th, celebrating their return to Kabul as the restoration of stability after decades of conflict and the withdrawal of US-led forces.

But as the authorities presented their rule as a break from foreign intervention, UN officials and aid groups warned that Afghanistan continues to face severe humanitarian and human rights crises. The anniversary highlights the gap between the Taliban’s claim of stability and the broader conditions under which Afghans are living, according to Africanews and NBC News via Reuters on August 15.

The Taliban’s security record is central to that claim. Their return ended the previous government and the large-scale fighting that had defined much of the preceding two decades. Yet the absence of nationwide war has not eliminated violence: Islamic State remains capable of attacks, while Afghanistan continues to face economic hardship and insecurity. While stability has therefore reduced one form of violence without resolving the wider vulnerabilities sustaining the crisis.

The clearest challenge to the Taliban’s vision is their treatment of women and girls. Despite earlier promises of a more moderate government, the authorities have barred girls from education beyond sixth grade and women from higher education, alongside restrictions on their participation in public life. UN officials have described the situation as a severe human rights crisis and warned against allowing such restrictions to become normalised. The Taliban maintain that their policies comply with Sharia law.

The consequences extend beyond individual rights. Restricting women’s education and employment removes a substantial part of Afghanistan’s potential workforce at a time when the country needs doctors, teachers and other professionals. Policies presented by the authorities as religious governance therefore also carry economic consequences, potentially weakening the human capital needed for long-term recovery.

Afghanistan’s humanitarian crisis provides another measure of the country’s condition. Aid groups say millions remain dependent on assistance, while drought, earthquakes and the return of Afghans from neighbouring countries have intensified pressure. Much of that vulnerability predates the Taliban and cannot be attributed solely to their rule. But restrictions on women have also complicated humanitarian operations and narrowed opportunities for recovery.

International isolation has begun to shift without producing full acceptance. Russia has formally recognised the Taliban, while other governments have maintained limited engagement over security, trade and migration. The result is an uneasy middle ground: governments increasingly deal with authorities in Kabul without necessarily endorsing the political and rights system they have established.

Five years on, the Taliban have consolidated control and ended the previous nationwide war. Whether that amounts to sustainable stability is less settled.

Africanews, NBC News via Reuters, Maghrebi.org