Taliban celebrate 5 years in power, but cracks widen
The Taliban is celebrating five years of rule in Afghanistan, but its stability is cracking: a confrontation with Pakistan, a wave of rebel attacks, hunger, unemployment, and international isolation threaten the regime. In Kabul, an iron fist is visible, but in Badakhshan province clashes are increasing, and Pakistan has carried out dozens of airstrikes. The ban on women's education prevents 2.4 million girls from studying, and repression continues.
Five years after returning to power in Afghanistan, the Taliban is celebrating in Kabul and projecting an image of stability, but on the ground the cracks are widening. The organization faces a series of crises at home and abroad: a real war threatens to break out with Pakistan, which has carried out dozens of airstrikes on Afghan territory, leading to the deaths of hundreds of civilians and threatening to escalate its actions. The Taliban accuses Islamabad of supporting the rebels. Meanwhile, a new wave of attacks by armed groups is sweeping the country; a resistance group has claimed responsibility for the assassination of a Taliban-appointed mayor in Badakhshan province, which borders China, Pakistan, and Tajikistan, and is emerging as a hotbed of clashes. Local residents, tired of the iron fist and lack of economic opportunities, increasingly support the rebels. On the civilian front, extreme hunger is spreading due to cuts in international aid, and the ban on women's education prevents 2.4 million girls from studying, stifling economic development. Despite a rare protest last June in which demonstrators chanted "work, education, freedom," repression remains brutal. The Taliban faces the most serious threats since the summer of 2021.