Before the Taliban stormed to power in Afghanistan in 2021, Ahmad Dawood dreamed of expanding his small tailoring business, getting married, and buying a car.But five years after the militant Islamist group’s takeover, Dawood works on his family’s farm outside the capital, Kabul, growing fruit and vegetables. He sews dresses in secret for the few female customers who make orders.“I had hoped to study fashion design at a university. I had a plan to import fabric from Turkey, create my own designs, and hire dressmakers. I imagined taking part in fashion shows and selling my designs in neighboring countries,” the 29-year-old told RFE/RL.“None of that happened,” he added. “Everything went upside down.”Dawood is among the millions of Afghans whose dreams were dashed when the Taliban seized power following the end of the nearly 20-year international military presence in Afghanistan.
Ahmad Dawood.
Under the Western-backed Afghan government, corruption and violence were rife.But young, educated Afghans, especially in major cities, had freedoms and opportunities that were unthinkable before the US-led invasion toppled the Taliban’s first regime in 2001.Since regaining power in 2021, the Taliban has created one of the world’s most repressive regimes, depriving many Afghans of their basic rights, especially women.Unrecognized and sanctioned by the international community, the hard-line group has overseen rising poverty and unemployment.Hundreds of thousands of Afghans have fled to neighboring countries or the West to escape extreme poverty and the Taliban’s repressive rule. But many Afghans are unable to leave their homeland and have grudgingly learned to live under the militant group.Dawood, who lives with his parents and two younger sisters, said they do not have the money to leave Afghanistan, a country of some 40 million people that in the grips of major humanitarian and economic crises.“I’m still not married because I don’t earn enough to support a wife and children,” he said. “Whatever I earn goes to support my parents and my sisters.”Secret Life Under The TalibanFor women and girls, the Taliban’s return to power has been a nightmare.
