The Taliban marked five years back in power with celebrations in Kabul on Saturday, even as they face escalating armed resistance, near-open conflict with Pakistan, and deepening economic collapse. Pakistani airstrikes have killed roughly 500 civilians in Afghanistan since October according to the UN, while anti-Taliban fighters have assassinated officials and briefly seized a police headquarters in Badakhshan province.
Domestically, the Taliban continue to bar girls from secondary and university education — depriving an estimated 2.4 million girls of schooling, per UNESCO — while arresting UN staff, closing minority places of worship, and suppressing dissent. Aid cuts last year have pushed extreme hunger across provinces, and a rare June protest saw demonstrators chant for work, education and freedom.
Despite this, the Taliban have expanded trade with Central Asian states, collected taxes, built infrastructure, and been received by European governments eager to facilitate deportations of Afghan migrants. They also want the Trump administration to re-engage with Afghanistan, even as they blame Pakistan for backing the armed groups attacking their own outposts.
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