Taliban rule over Afghanistan: what future for the Afghans?

Audio 06:57

Taliban fighters stand guard in a vehicle along the road in Kabul on August 16, 2021, after a surprisingly swift end to the 20-year war in Afghanistan, as thousands stormed the city's airport in an attempt to escape.

AFP - -

By: Florence Thomazeau

8 mins

In just ten days, the Taliban took control of most of the country, after a staggeringly rapid military campaign that led them to the presidential palaces in Kabul.

Fighters seized the building after President Ashraf Ghani fled abroad, who admitted that the Taliban had " 

won 

".

The rout is total for the Afghan security forces, yet funded for 20 years with hundreds of billions of dollars by the United States.

Analysis by Fahimeh Robiolle, independent consultant, lecturer at ESSEC, Kabul University and Tehran, specializing in negotiation, conflict management and leadership.

  • Afghanistan

  • Taliban

  • United States

  • Defense

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