Taliban leaders and other officials gathered Saturday at Afghanistan’s traditional Loya Jirga assembly hall to mark the fifth anniversary of their return to power, touting what they described as an end to decades of conflict and the restoration of stability.
But a senior United Nations official warned of a deepening human rights crisis in a country where girls over the age of 12 remain barred from education.
The Taliban seized power on Aug. 15, 2021, as U.S. and other NATO forces withdrew after nearly two decades of war. The departure triggered chaos at Kabul’s airport, where thousands of Afghans desperate to leave the country crowded into the airport in the hope of securing a place on evacuation flights.
An Afghan cyclist performs a trick as he rides past a mural reading "With divine help, our nation defeated America," as the Taliban government celebrates the fifth anniversary of its return to power, Kabul, Afghanistan, Aug. 15, 2026. (AFP Photo)
After returning to power, the Taliban banned girls from attending school beyond sixth grade and later barred women from universities and other forms of higher education. The restrictions came despite earlier Taliban assurances that women would be allowed to study, work and participate in public life.
