Afghanistan one year later: How daily life in the war-torn country has changed since the Talibans takeover – Fox News
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
This article is part of a Fox News Digital series examining the consequences of the U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan one year ago this week.
Decades of progress for Afghan women's rights rolled back in a matter of months. Widespread hunger and malnutrition exacerbated by an international freeze on aid. A draconian crackdown on any public expression that doesn't conform with a hard-line interpretation of Islam. Violent attacks that have rocked the capital of Kabul.
This is day-to-day life one year after the Taliban entered Kabul and took Afghanistan back following the withdrawal of U.S. troops last August.
Women and girls have been especially hard hit by the Taliban's rise to power. The country's new religious rulers have restricted women from working outside the home aside from a few sectors, banned girls from attending secondary school, ordered women to cover their faces in public, and implemented rules that limit a woman's ability to travel without a male chaperone.
Widespread hunger has also increased drastically amid a worsening economic crisis, with about half of Afghanistan's 38 million people experiencing acute food insecurity.
These two issues the revocation of women's rights and a cratering economy have compounded to create one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world right now, according to Phillipe Kropfe, a spokesperson who is based in Kabul for the United Nations World Food Program.
"After four decades of conflict, many households are led by widows, and they are the only breadwinner. Without the full participation of women and girls in all aspects of public life there is little chance of achieving lasting peace, stability and economic development," Kropfe told Fox News Digital.
ONE YEAR AFTER TALIBAN TAKEOVER, AFGHAN RIGHTS LEADER SIMA SAMAR STILL HEARTBROKEN
An Afghan man with a family of 12 people and lost his job at a local NGO last August said he has struggled to bring food home on a daily basis since the Taliban took over, but his more pressing concern is for the future of his daughters.
"My biggest worry right now is uncertain future of my children, especially girls," the man, who asked not to be named for fear of reprisal from the Taliban, told Fox News Digital. "My eldest daughter is in 7th class and whenever she asks me about when she will return to school it makes my heart full of pain because no one has the answer."
The Taliban's takeover last year is not the first time that women in Afghanistan have seen their hard-fought rights rolled back.
The 20th century saw steady progression of basic rights for women, but that came to an abrupt halt when the Taliban first rose to power in 1996; a rule that would continue until the United States and allies launched Operation Enduring Freedom in 2001.
"Women of Afghanistan were able to take advantage of the opportunities offered to them following the 2001 removal of the Taliban to continue their democratization efforts of the earlier decades, particularly during the 1970s and 1980s, which included extensive gender equality provisions, like womens greater access to higher education," Mona Tajali, a professor of international relations and women's studies at Agnes Scott college and an executive board member for Women Living Under Muslim Laws, told Fox News Digital.
TALIBAN CLAIMS IT WAS UNAWARE AL QAEDA CHIEF AL-ZAWAHRI WAS IN AFGHANISTAN BEFORE US DRONE STRIKE
Women inside and outside of Afghanistan voiced their concerns when the Trump administration began negotiating with the Taliban in 2019 and 2020.
"Womens warnings, however, fell on deaf ears, and the Biden administration implemented the Trump administrations timeline of troops withdrawal, while neither administration had reached any safeguards on human rights, peace, security or even girls education," Tajali said.
"Many Afghan women activists and leaders feel betrayed by the U.S government, since addressing their rights served as a justification for the occupation in 2001 only to be fully ignored in 2021."
While women and other Afghans have protested for their rights over the last year, the Taliban has cracked down on freedom of expression with extrajudicial killings and detainment of activists.
The Taliban's Government Media and Information Center issued an order in September 2021 that prohibited journalists from publishing stories "contrary to Islam" or "insulting to national figures," leading to the arrest and torture of more than 80 journalists over the past year, according to a report this month by Amnesty International.
The Afghan father who expressed fear about the future of his children also said that his ability to discuss his country's challenges has been severely curtailed by the Taliban.
"I could talk and write about situation, problems and solutions of politics, economy and country. Now I am deprived of all [those] rights and privileges," he said. "The Taliban can arrest, torture and even kill me any moment for any reason or without a reason, and there is no one [asking] them why you arrest or kill a human being."
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Despite the daily challenges that women, girls and other Afghans face one year after the Taliban's takeover, the country is anything but a lost cause, according to Zuhra Bahman, the Afghanistan director for Search for Common Ground who is based in Kabul.
"There are women who work in ministries resisting from within, there are women marching for their rights, and most importantly, there are women who are leading humanitarian efforts and making a change in their community," Bahman told Fox News Digital.
Paul Best is a reporter for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to Paul.best@fox.com and on Twitter: @KincaidBest.
- Remarks at a UN Security Council Briefing on the Situation in Afghanistan - United States Mission to the United Nations (.gov) - September 22nd, 2026 [September 22nd, 2026]
- Pakistan conducts airstrikes in eastern Afghanistan in retaliation for terrorist attacks - longwarjournal.org - September 22nd, 2026 [September 22nd, 2026]
- Transparent Tribe targets India, Afghanistan with new malware in Operation RapidRust - SC Media - September 22nd, 2026 [September 22nd, 2026]
- Pakistan Says 28 Killed in Airstrikes on Three Targets in Afghanistan - U.S. News & World Report - September 22nd, 2026 [September 22nd, 2026]
- UN Rights Chief Calls for Action on Gender Apartheid in Afghanistan - thekabultribune.com - September 22nd, 2026 [September 22nd, 2026]
- Abhishek Sharma hits record T20 ton as India beat Afghanistan by 127 runs - Al Jazeera - September 22nd, 2026 [September 22nd, 2026]
- Norway Gives $1.63 Million to Afghanistan Humanitarian Fund - thekabultribune.com - September 22nd, 2026 [September 22nd, 2026]
- UN Security Council again warns of terrorist threats emanating from Afghanistan - - - September 22nd, 2026 [September 22nd, 2026]
- Rights Groups Call on UN to Extend Afghanistan Rapporteurs Mandate, Expand Scrutiny - KabulNow - September 22nd, 2026 [September 22nd, 2026]
- Pakistan Carries Out Airstrikes in Eastern Afghanistan, Killing Three - KabulNow - September 22nd, 2026 [September 22nd, 2026]
- Pakistan says 28 killed in airstrikes on Afghanistan - daily-sun.com - September 22nd, 2026 [September 22nd, 2026]
- Malala Yousafzai urges world not to turn back on women in Afghanistan during event with McEntee - The Journal - September 22nd, 2026 [September 22nd, 2026]
- Pakistan says 28 killed in airstrikes on three targets in Afghanistan - The Business Standard - September 22nd, 2026 [September 22nd, 2026]
- Al-Qaeda regroups in Afghanistan, 25 years after 9/11 - The Washington Post - September 13th, 2026 [September 13th, 2026]
- 25 years after 9/11, al-Qaeda said regrouping in Taliban-run Afghanistan - The Times of Israel - September 13th, 2026 [September 13th, 2026]
- 9/11 changed Afghanistan, but now it's back where it started - PBS - September 13th, 2026 [September 13th, 2026]
- Afghanistan vs India T20 2026: Know schedule, where to watch AFG vs IND live streaming and telecast - olympics.com - September 13th, 2026 [September 13th, 2026]
- Woman deported to Afghanistan in first use of Alien Terrorist Removal Court - The Washington Post - September 13th, 2026 [September 13th, 2026]
- Where to watch India vs. Afghanistan live stream, TV channel, start time and lineups for 1st T20I - Yahoo Sports Canada - September 13th, 2026 [September 13th, 2026]
- Afghanistan pacer raring to go after two years out - ICC - September 13th, 2026 [September 13th, 2026]
- Why India are playing as 'away' team in Delhi for Afghanistan T20I series: Explained - The Times of India - September 13th, 2026 [September 13th, 2026]
- India face tough selection calls as Afghanistan play hosts in Delhi - Cricinfo - September 13th, 2026 [September 13th, 2026]
- Naveen-ul-Haq raring to go on return to Afghanistan squad after two-year injury absence - Yardbarker - September 13th, 2026 [September 13th, 2026]
- Why Vande Mataram was sung before National Anthem in India vs Afghanistan T20I in Delhi - EXPLAINED - The Times of India - September 13th, 2026 [September 13th, 2026]
- India vs Afghanistan 1st T20I Live Streaming: Check when and where to watch, probable playing XI, head-to- - The Economic Times - September 13th, 2026 [September 13th, 2026]
- India vs Afghanistan LIVE streaming info: Where to watch IND v AFG 1st T20I? - Sportstar - September 13th, 2026 [September 13th, 2026]
- Afghanistan vs India 1st T20I Live Streaming: When, where and how to watch AFG vs IND live on TV and online | Cricket - Hindustan Times - September 13th, 2026 [September 13th, 2026]
- India vs Afghanistan Live Streaming, 1st T20I Live Telecast: When And Where To Watch Live - NDTV Sports - September 13th, 2026 [September 13th, 2026]
- India vs Afghanistan Free Live Telecast, 1st T20I Live Streaming: Where And Where To Watch - NDTV Sports - September 13th, 2026 [September 13th, 2026]
- India vs Afghanistan live streaming: How to watch 1st T20I live in India? - Business Standard - September 13th, 2026 [September 13th, 2026]
- 25 Years After 9/11, Al Qaeda Still Has a Home in Afghanistan - The New York Times - September 11th, 2026 [September 11th, 2026]
- The Forever War in Afghanistan: 25 Years in Pictures - The New York Times - September 11th, 2026 [September 11th, 2026]
- After 9/11, I lived through Australias long war in Afghanistan. There are lessons the world must learn | Shadi Khan Saif - theguardian.com - September 11th, 2026 [September 11th, 2026]
- Look back: 9/11, Osama bin Laden, and a safe haven in Afghanistan - Yahoo - September 11th, 2026 [September 11th, 2026]
- 25 years after Sept. 11 attacks, Taliban rules Afghanistan again, but now with $7 billion in U.S. firepower - cbsnews.com - September 11th, 2026 [September 11th, 2026]
- Commentary: Educating girls banned from school in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan - WAMC - September 11th, 2026 [September 11th, 2026]
- From Afghanistan to Iraq: The World Shaped by 25 Years of 9/11 - Kurdistan24 - September 11th, 2026 [September 11th, 2026]
- Statement attributable to the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General on Afghanistan - unmissions.org - September 11th, 2026 [September 11th, 2026]
- One day the Taliban will need women to be educated: three sisters on being forced back to Afghanistan - theguardian.com - September 11th, 2026 [September 11th, 2026]
- United Front claims killing of Taliban soldier in southern Afghanistan - Free Press Kashmir - September 11th, 2026 [September 11th, 2026]
- 25 years after 9/11, al-Qaida still has a home in Afghanistan - San Juan Daily Star - September 11th, 2026 [September 11th, 2026]
- Three Taliban Members Wounded In Badakhshan Attack, Says NRF - Afghanistan International - September 11th, 2026 [September 11th, 2026]
- Perspective - The struggle for women to get care in Afghanistan - France 24 - September 11th, 2026 [September 11th, 2026]
- National Briefing: Standing with women & girls of Afghanistan - Amnesty International Australia - September 11th, 2026 [September 11th, 2026]
- Afghanistan to host Bangladesh and Zimbabwe in the UAE in three-format home season - Cricinfo - September 11th, 2026 [September 11th, 2026]
- 9/11 REMEMBERED | 'The mission continues': After serving in Gulf War and Afghanistan, veterans helping others deal with physical, emotional scars -... - September 11th, 2026 [September 11th, 2026]
- Afghanistan and the Architecture of Enduring Poverty - KabulNow - September 11th, 2026 [September 11th, 2026]
- Ties With Bangladesh Should Be Strengthened, Says Taliban FM - Afghanistan International - September 11th, 2026 [September 11th, 2026]
- Trk: Human Rights Violations in Afghanistan Institutionalized as Restrictions on Women Intensify - 8AM Media - September 11th, 2026 [September 11th, 2026]
- Fereshta Abbasi: Pakistan Must Revoke Order to Expel Students from Afghanistan - 8AM Media - September 11th, 2026 [September 11th, 2026]
- Trapped in Afghanistan: when studying abroad becomes an impossible mission - en.ara.cat - September 11th, 2026 [September 11th, 2026]
- Afghanistan: Child acute malnutrition, a livelihood systems perspective - Evidence to inform integrated prevention interventions -... - September 11th, 2026 [September 11th, 2026]
- The women and babies dying because of Trumps aid cuts in Afghanistan: 100 per cent preventable - The Independent - September 6th, 2026 [September 6th, 2026]
- The U.S. Retreat from Afghanistan: 5 Years On - fdd.org - September 6th, 2026 [September 6th, 2026]
- Inside Afghanistan's secret schools where women defy the Taliban to educate girls - PBS - September 6th, 2026 [September 6th, 2026]
- Afghanistan buzkashi team withdraws from World Nomad Games - Amu TV - September 6th, 2026 [September 6th, 2026]
- Decades of war have left depth and breadth of trauma across Afghanistan, UN finds - news.un.org - September 6th, 2026 [September 6th, 2026]
- The Taliban has brought Afghanistan close to Collapse but resistance is growing - Security Risks Asia - September 6th, 2026 [September 6th, 2026]
- Inside the Taliban Intelligence Operation That Killed Hasib Panjshiri - Afghanistan International - September 6th, 2026 [September 6th, 2026]
- Kor Kitchen brings the taste of Afghanistan to SLO County - newtimesslo.com - September 6th, 2026 [September 6th, 2026]
- 5 Years Of The Talibans Return To Power In Afghanistan: Whats Next? - Religion Unplugged - September 6th, 2026 [September 6th, 2026]
- 25th anniversary of Australian service in Afghanistan 2001-2021 - DVA - September 6th, 2026 [September 6th, 2026]
- Taliban Offers United States Access To Afghanistans Mineral Wealth - Afghanistan International - September 6th, 2026 [September 6th, 2026]
- Engineering Knowledge in Afghanistan: Why the Taliban Are Eliminating Three University Programs - 8am.media - September 6th, 2026 [September 6th, 2026]
- Pakistan Says 15 TTP Fighters Killed Attempting to Infiltrate From Afghanistan - kabulnow.com - September 6th, 2026 [September 6th, 2026]
- Two Afghan Nationals Secretly Executed In Iran, Says Rights Group - Afghanistan International - September 6th, 2026 [September 6th, 2026]
- Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan and Mongolia have highest share of transport corridor development spending relative to GDP - EDB - AKIpress News Agency - September 6th, 2026 [September 6th, 2026]
- Pakistan security forces kill 15 militants attempting to cross from Afghanistan - ottumwacourier.com - September 6th, 2026 [September 6th, 2026]
- Afghanistan issued more than 203,000 visas to foreign nationals over past year - AzerNews - September 6th, 2026 [September 6th, 2026]
- Afghanistan vet in Congress remarks on 5 years since Abbey Gate bombing - Fox News - August 27th, 2026 [August 27th, 2026]
- Pentagon claims to have found hidden files on final days of the Afghanistan war - Politico - August 27th, 2026 [August 27th, 2026]
- Opinion | The Path to Zero: The Tragic Withdrawal From Afghanistan - WSJ - August 27th, 2026 [August 27th, 2026]
- Pentagon Claims Hegseths Afghanistan Withdrawal Probe Found Hidden Files - News of the United States - NOTUS - August 27th, 2026 [August 27th, 2026]
- What Life in Afghanistan Looks Like Five Years After the U.S. Withdrawal - Katie Couric Media - August 27th, 2026 [August 27th, 2026]
- Illinois National Guard to release documentary on 2013 battle in Afghanistan - KFVS12 - August 27th, 2026 [August 27th, 2026]
- Afghanistan: Present, past and future - Pearls and Irritations - August 27th, 2026 [August 27th, 2026]
- Opinion | The Path to Zero: How the War in Afghanistan Ended - WSJ - August 27th, 2026 [August 27th, 2026]
- Norco vigil marks 5th anniversary of blast that killed 13 service members in Afghanistan - pressenterprise.com - August 27th, 2026 [August 27th, 2026]
- Marines Receive Upgraded Valor Awards for Afghanistan Withdrawal - RealClearDefense - August 27th, 2026 [August 27th, 2026]
- Taliban Must Take Verifiable Action Against TTP, Says Pakistan - Afghanistan International - August 27th, 2026 [August 27th, 2026]