Afghanistan

Afghan Special Immigrant Visa applicants crowd into the Herat Kabul Internet cafe, seeking help applying for the SIV program on Aug. 8, 2021, in Kabul, Afghanistan. The Taliban took over Afghanistan a week later. More than 74,000 applicants remain in the backlog of the SIV program, designed to help those who served the U.S. overseas.

Since the Taliban takeover, Afghans hoping to leave Afghanistan have few ways out

4:59pm October 03, 2022

by D. Parvaz

A year after the U.S. withdrawal, tens of thousands of applicants remain stuck in the backlog of the Special Immigrant Visa program, designed to help those who served the U.S. overseas.

Bicycles have become the only commuting option for many Afghans, who are often unable to afford a ride in a bus or a shared cab as the economy has unraveled under Taliban rule. But the conservative Taliban culture means that women are missing from the ranks of these new riders.

Health & Safety

Bikes are everywhere in Kabul since the Taliban takeover. But who's not cycling? Women

2:28pm September 29, 2022

As the economy unravels, "everyone is getting a bike," says one young resident. It's the cheapest way to get around. But the Taliban's conservative culture means women cyclists are not welcome.

When the Taliban came to power in Afghanistan, Nasrat Khalid says, "I think it was one of the moments I felt the most powerless in my life but also the moment that inspired my team to radically shift what we do." That's when Aseel, the online arts business he started, took on charity work, drawing on cash reserves to provide shelter and food to displaced Afghans.

Health & Safety

He wanted his company to be the Etsy of Afghanistan. Now it has a crucial new mission

5:05pm September 20, 2022

by Ruchi Kumar

As international charities pulled out or faced funding issues after the Taliban takeover, Aseel, an online business that sells local crafts, wondered: Could it help ease the rising wave of hunger?

This undated photo shows Mark Frerichs, a U.S. veteran and civilian contractor who was released by the Taliban after being held more than 2 years in Afghanistan, part of an apparent prisoner swap.

World News

An American held hostage in Afghanistan has been freed in a prisoner swap

1:21pm September 19, 2022

by The Associated Press

Mark Frerichs, a Navy veteran turned civilian contractor, was abducted in January 2020. His release centered on a prisoner exchange involving Bashir Noorzai, a notorious drug lord and Taliban member.

Newborn baby Amina is treated for the gun wound in her right leg incurred during the May 12, 2020 attack on a maternity hospital in Kabul. After being rescued, she was brought to the French Medical Institute for Children for surgery.

Health & Safety

Whatever happened to the baby shot 3 times in the Kabul maternity hospital bombing?

1:18pm September 06, 2022

by Ruchi Kumar

The child incurred severe injuries in her right leg in the 2020 attack, which killed 24, including her mother. Complications mean a need for more surgeries. But it seemed impossible in Afghanistan.

Taliban guards stand at the entrance of the National Museum of Afghanistan after it reopened under Taliban control in Kabul in December.

The Taliban now guard Afghanistan's National Museum, where they once smashed objects

9:00am September 01, 2022

When the Taliban returned to power, cultural heritage advocates worried history might repeat itself and the group would destroy objects it found offensive. The museum is open now but has few visitors.

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The self-proclaimed Islamic emirate now controls government compounds, universities and other institutions surrounded by blast walls—concrete structures once built to keep out the Taliban, along with bombers from other extremist groups.

These photos show who is (and isn't) included in the Taliban's Afghanistan

6:12pm August 14, 2022

One year ago, the Taliban raised their white flag over Afghanistan's capital for the second time. NPR toured the country and spoke to the Taliban and residents about what has happened since.

Women march down a main street in Kabul on Saturday, two days before the one-year anniversary of the Taliban takeover.

World News

Women march in a rare protest in Kabul's streets — and face violence from the Taliban

10:58am August 13, 2022

by Diaa Hadid

About two dozen women marched in Kabul chanting "bread, work, freedom," "we want political participation" and "no to enslavement," just days before the one-year anniversary of the Taliban takeover.

Commander of U.S. Central Command Gen. Kenneth McKenzie testifies during a hearing before Senate Armed Services Committee in September, 2021. The committee held the hearing "to receive testimony on the conclusion of military operations in Afghanistan and

World News

The U.S. lost track of why it was in Afghanistan, former commander says

5:00am August 10, 2022

Recently retired General Frank McKenzie reflects on the withdrawal from Afghanistan, who bears responsibility for the way it unfolded, and how the U.S. "lost track" of why it was in the country.

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A man works on the evening broadcast from TOLOnews, Afghanistan's first 24/7 new channel.

World News

Inside a TV news station determined to report facts in the Taliban's Afghanistan

11:30am August 09, 2022

Once a mortal threat, the Taliban have let Afghanistan's leading news channel stand. But every day is a struggle for the journalists who still work there.

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