Taliban firmly in control in Afghanistan 25 years after U.S.-led invasion began to oust them

The Story

A 25-year anniversary of the Oct. 7, 2001 U.S.-led invasion finds the Taliban firmly back in control of Afghanistan, with residents and former professionals describing how the return of the movement has brought reinstated restrictions, particularly for women and girls.

Dr. Nigar Nangrahari, 58, said she was on a night shift in a Kabul hospital when the invasion began. She described seeing Kabul residents retaliate against Taliban members the next day, including people she said were captured and killed and others hiding in trees. Afraid of what was to come, she said she and her family stayed home for about a month before returning to work as an obstetrician-gynecologist. She said she no longer had to wear a burqa in the street, and she described the freedoms offered during the period after the invasion as incomplete.

Nangrahari, who said she believes Afghans need a “moderate balance,” criticized what she called the lack of meaningful benefit from those earlier freedoms. She also said the Taliban’s current approach sets Afghanistan back, including through emphasis on religious education for boys and a ban on higher education for girls.

The invasion, conducted under U.S. President George W. Bush as Operation Enduring Freedom, was launched with the stated goal of dismantling al-Qaida after the Sept. 11 attacks. It was meant to begin a 20-year war that, according to the accounts provided in the story, cost tens of thousands of Afghan lives as well as thousands from coalition forces, U.S. contractors, aid workers and journalists.

Muin Gul Chamkanai, a former doctor who now leads the Shkula Charitable Foundation and works as a political analyst, said the stated goals of bringing good governance and combating narcotics and terrorism were not realized. He said corruption and heavy-handed tactics bred resentment during the U.S.-supported governments that followed the invasion.

With the Taliban back in power since August 2021, deputy government spokesman Hamdullah Fitrat said in a statement on the 25th anniversary that Afghans would never submit to foreign occupation or external coercion. Fitrat described Oct. 7, 2001 as a “dark day” that led to thousands being martyred, wounded, imprisoned, displaced and left homeless.

Tahmina Mangal, 33, described how restrictions imposed after the Taliban took over have weighed heavily on her mental health. She said her plans to continue her education were dashed after high schools and universities for girls and women were shuttered.

Now running a store selling traditional Afghan clothing for women, Tahmina said women are barred from most jobs but that the Ministry of Commerce issues business licenses to women. She said she worries about Afghanistan’s future because women cannot access education or participate in governance, and she linked the lack of schooling to a future shortage of doctors, teachers and literate women.

Nangrahari acknowledged improvements to infrastructure, including roads and high-rise buildings, but said a society without education is “zero.” Tahmina, speaking from her shop in Kabul, urged women not to give up, saying they should continue pursuing studies where possible, including through online options.