Five years of Taliban rule: women confined, humanitarian crisis deepens in Afghanistan

Five years of Taliban rule

On 15 August 2021, the Taliban captured Kabul in a blitz offensive after the announced withdrawal of NATO and US forces, ending two decades of international military presence. Five years later, the Taliban staged an anniversary celebration in the capital with flags, speeches and military convoys. No country except Russia recognises the Taliban as the legitimate government of Afghanistan; the United Nations refers to them only as "de facto authorities." The 20-year Western military engagement left a devastating toll: more than 2,300 US soldiers killed, 59 Bundeswehr personnel dead, over 46,000 civilians killed and nearly 70,000 Afghan security forces killed.

Women under the Islamic Emirate

The Taliban have systematically stripped women and girls of rights over five years. Secondary schools and universities are closed to them, and they have been pushed out of much of working life. A UN Women survey of over 2,000 people across Afghanistan found that 52% of women leave their homes only twice or less per month, while 96% of men leave daily. Seven in ten women reported that their mental health deteriorated in the past year, and 65% said their lives had turned out worse than they had previously expected. An estimated 22 million women and girls live in the country.

Humanitarian crisis deepens

Afghanistan faces a compounding humanitarian emergency. The World Food Programme reported that 47% of minors were undernourished in the first quarter of 2026. Nearly 40% of the population could face acute food insecurity during winter months, and at least 3.7 million young children are acutely malnourished. The UNHCR says nearly 3.9 million people have returned from Iran and Pakistan over the past five years, willingly or under pressure, and nearly 5.9 million returnees have arrived since September 2023. The World Bank notes that while the Afghan economy grew last year, per capita Afghans have become significantly poorer due to the massive influx of returnees.

Evacuation and exile

The fall of Kabul triggered chaotic evacuations. Najeeb Ferotan, who worked eight years for the Bundeswehr media centre in Mazar-i-Sharif, spent eleven days at the airport trying to get out. He described American soldiers firing over crowds and using pepper spray. On 26 August 2021, a suicide bomber detonated explosives at the Abbey Gate, killing 169 Afghans and 13 US soldiers. The Bundeswehr evacuated 5,347 people in eleven days. Ferotan, who now lives in North Rhine-Westphalia, recalled the scene.

Everyone tried to save themselves. Nobody paid attention to others.

Germany's diplomatic dilemma

Germany has closed its Kabul embassy for five years and relies on second-hand information rather than its own situation assessment. The Swiss opened a humanitarian liaison office in Kabul in 2024, and the EU maintains a delegation office there. Berlin has allowed Taliban "consular officials" to control Afghanistan's diplomatic representations in Germany, effectively trading cooperation on deportations for a degree of recognition. Germany is the leading EU country in deportations to Afghanistan. Critics argue the government has made itself vulnerable to Taliban pressure while avoiding a factual discussion about realities on the ground.

Women who resist

Despite the restrictions, some women continue to work. Rukia Resai, 21, founded a soap manufactory in Herat four years ago after the Taliban barred her from studying. Her business now employs eight people. She said the work had improved her family's mental health.

Overall, the mental health of our whole family has improved through this work.

Ghoncheh Karimi is another entrepreneur defying the bans. International aid organisations describe their programmes as a drop in the ocean against the scale of need.