Taliban mark five years in power as aid groups warn of crisis

What This is

• The Taliban marked five years since taking Kabul with rallies and ceremonies, while boosting security measures in some areas.
• Afghanistan remains in a severe humanitarian and economic crisis, with large shares of the population needing assistance and basic services under strain.
• Women and girls have been pushed out of much of public life through many Taliban rules, including bans on most secondary and higher education and limits on work and movement.
• The U.N. warned that cuts could force many women’s organizations to suspend work, even as needs rise and the U.N. appeal remains far short of its target.
• Rights groups say Taliban authorities have detained or disappeared staff linked to the UN mission and a women’s and children’s rights group, and the UN says it has not been told the charges.
• Some countries have increased contacts with the Taliban for security, migration, and economic reasons, even as many governments still withhold formal recognition.
• Several accounts say large-scale fighting is lower than before 2021, but security is still fragile, with armed resistance, Islamic State Khorasan activity, crime, and tensions with Pakistan.

Why This Matters

• Afghanistan is a test of whether the world can reduce mass suffering when the de facto rulers restrict rights and hinder aid work.
• Excluding women and girls from school and jobs raises a basic question about equal rights and locks in long-term harm to family incomes and national skills.
• Cuts to food, clinics, and maternal care can turn hardship into avoidable deaths, and they can push more Afghans to move within the region and beyond.
• Growing diplomatic ties without formal recognition may reshape regional security and trade, while shrinking outside leverage over Taliban behavior.