3 Years Later, Afghans Suffer as Taliban Celebrates

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It’s been three years since the U.S. withdrew from Afghanistan, paving the way for the Taliban to again rule the country.

The Taliban held celebrations Wednesday marking the anniversary of the U.S.-backed government collapse, which occurred on Aug. 15, 2021, with speeches and a military parade, DW.com reported.

While no country has officially recognized the Taliban, it has managed to established diplomatic ties with Russia, China, Pakistan, India, and other countries in Central Asia, according to DW.

“Afghanistan has come out of global isolation,” Zabihullah Mujahid, a Taliban spokesman said to DW.

Since the Taliban regained control, women have been banished from public life. Girls are barred from attending school past sixth grade. Women are prohibited from local jobs and nongovernmental organizations. Beauty salons have been closed and women are prohibited from going to gyms and parks. Women are also not allowed outside without a male companion, DW reported.

The United Nations has criticized the Taliban for “gender apartheid,” and countries have said they will only engage with the Taliban if they improve girls’ access to education and allow for a more inclusive government

“The Taliban government is unilateral, mono-ethnic, mono-religious, and mono-gender, and has adopted the harshest policies against women, human rights activists, former military personnel, and ethnic groups in Afghanistan,” Mustafa Mudassir, an Afghan expert on international relations, told DW.

Afghanistan continues to face numerous challenges, including a crippled economy that has plunged the nation into a deep recession with soaring poverty rates and high unemployment, DW reported. The country has no constitution and its leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada, rules through religious edict.

The U.N. said more than half the country’s population, nearly 24 million people, require humanitarian assistance.