Topline
Saturday was the seventh day that Taliban fighters have been in control of Afghanistan’s capital after the Western-backed government collapsed last Sunday, leading to scenes of chaos and dramatic shifts.
A Taliban fighter patrols in Wazir Akbar Khan in Kabul on Wednesday. The Taliban took control of the … [+] city on Sunday, prompting chaos as Afghans sought to flee the country out of fears the group would resume the brutal and oppressive practices it used when it last ruled Afghanistan nearly two decades ago.
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Key Facts
The Taliban rolled into Kabul last weekend after taking just 11 days to seize control of the vast majority of Afghanistan following a U.S. troop drawdown, and declared the “Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan” on Thursday — the same name Afghanistan had under Taliban rule from 1996 to 2001.
Reporters on the ground in Kabul say Taliban fighters are now patrolling essentially every block in the city, prompting concerns of a return to the brutality seen the last time the Taliban was in power, when it enforced an extremely conservative interpretation of Sharia law.
Afghans desperate to escape the Taliban stormed Hamid Karzai International Airport on Monday, with some dying after clinging onto the outside of a U.S. C-17 military plane as it took off.
Thousands of U.S. soldiers were ordered into Afghanistan to retake control of the airport, with planes now departing full of Americans and Afghan refugees fleeing the country.
The Taliban claims Afghans’ fears are unfounded, promising “amnesty” for those who worked with the U.S. and saying some of the harsh policies of their earlier rule — like forbidding education for women — will not be repeated.
There are already signs the Taliban is hardening its rule, though, as fighters go on door-to-door manhunts looking for journalists and those who worked for the previous Afghan government.
A Taliban fighter walks past a beauty salon with images of women defaced using spray paint in … [+] Shar-e-Naw in Kabul on Wednesday.
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Taliban fighters display their flag on patrol in Kabul on Thursday.
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Taliban fighters take control of the Afghan presidential palace in Kabul on Sunday after President … [+] Ashraf Ghani fled the country.
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An Afghan takes a selfie with Taliban fighters on patrol in Kabul on Thursday.
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U.S. Marines work to keep control of Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul on Friday.
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A Taliban fighter mans a machinegun on top of a vehicle riding through Kabul on Monday.
AFP via Getty Images
Taliban officials arrange a Taliban flag before a news conference from Taliban spokesman Zabihullah … [+] Mujahid at the Government Media Information Center, in Kabul on Tuesday.
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Afghans wave a black, red and green banner in honor of the old Afghan flag, in defiance of the … [+] Taliban in Kabul on Thursday.
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Taliban fighters hold their guns while on patrol in Kabul on Thursday.
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U.S soldiers stand guard along a perimeter in front of a crowd of Afghans at Hamid Harzai … [+] International Airport in Kabul on Monday.
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Afghan citizens pack inside a U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III as they are transported from Hamid … [+] Karzai International Airport in Kabul on Sunday.
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