On August 15, 2021, the Taliban group is officially back and has again gained control of Afghanistan. The Taliban, or “students” in the Pashto language, are a fundamentalist group who had ruled the nation for around five years before being removed from power by the U.S-led forces more than two decades ago. The Taliban effectively sealed control of Afghanistan, swarming into the capital, Kabul, and meeting little to no resistance as President Ashraf Ghani fled the country. They seized power in Afghanistan two weeks before the U.S was set to complete its troop withdrawal after a costly two-decade war stemming from 9/11. 

The Taliban have been trying to regain power in Afghanistan ever since they were ousted by American forces in the wake of the September 11 attacks in 2001. The last time they have ruled, they barred women and girls from taking jobs or even going to school. Women also had risked severe punishment if they were caught outside their home with their faces uncovered. The Taliban also banned television, music, and cinema, and disapproved of girls aged 10 and over going to school.

At some point, women had made a gain though decades later Afghan women started fearing that ground would be lost. These women battled through nearly every obstacle and fought for their future almost every day, an example from a news reporter states, “A young woman who had the highest college admission score, had nearly missed being targeted in a bombing of her SAT prep center.” This alone shows how women are being heavily targeted.

All over the news and social media show people in large crowds at the Kabul airport pushing and running their way through to try and flee their own country. “The Taliban have taken over the entire country,” Kempfer says. Some were so desperate, they clung to the side of a military jet as it took off and then plunged to their deaths which are shown in some graphic videos.

Warning shots were even fired in the air by the U.S troops to try and scatter the crowds. “Due to crazy action, at least seven people died in the chaos,” said U.S troops. This is crazy because people are simply trying to leave because they are terrified of what the Taliban can do. 

From a known source it says Kempfer also noted that the Taliban were allowing the United States to remove their people employed in the U.S organization. Afghans nationals wish to leave the country as well because they were working with the U.S and feel they are in danger. Some reasons that the Taliban are taking over Afghanistan are because “they feel they represent the Afghan people, they represent the culture,” Kempfer says. “They feel they represent the dominant religion of Afghanistan. For these reasons they feel they should rightfully be in charge.” In my opinion, I feel they shouldn’t be doing this and I know that a lot of people are going to agree with me. We don’t know what’s going to happen now but Joe Biden says the U.S Forces will stay in Kabul to get all Americans out. The only question for now is, what will happen next?