In a scene repeated across Afghanistan, retreating government forces ditched billions of dollars' worth of U.S.-supplied military hardware, from assault rifles to Black Hawk helicopters.
The U.S. military spent years training Afghan soldiers to fight insurgents. Yet in a matter of days, the Afghan National Army collapsed, and the Taliban captured the country. What went wrong?
President Biden on Friday redoubled his vow to oversee the safe removal of all Americans from Afghanistan and said he was committed to trying to evacuate Afghans who assisted the U.S.
The long-planned trip is now complicated by the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, which is drawing comparisons to the fall of Saigon in the aftermath of the Vietnam War.
Afghans have lived through Soviet and U.S. invasions, civil war, insurgency and a previous period of heavy-handed Taliban rule. Here are some key events and dates from the past four decades.
She practiced medicine in Mazar-e-Sharif. She wanted to serve her country. Her story offers a window into what the Taliban takeover may hold for Afghanistan's women.
The president told ABC News it was "a simple choice" to withdraw U.S. forces, and he faulted the Afghan government and its military for not more forcibly defending the capital.
The teenagers made headlines when they came to Washington in 2017 for an international competition. Today they face a uncertain future with the Taliban again in charge of their homeland.
As the Taliban take over Afghanistan, women bureaucrats are risking their lives and freedom to not only save their country and people — but to maintain the rights of women and girls.
Two men — a reclusive 60-year-old mullah who is the Taliban's top commander and a high-profile, battle-hardened lieutenant — are the odds-on picks to form the new regime.
The Taliban celebrated Afghanistan's Independence Day by declaring they beat the U.S. but face running a country short on cash where the possibility of an armed opposition is beginning to emerge.
Suhail Shaheen, the Taliban spokesman in Qatar, tells NPR's Steve Inskeep about the group's plans for the country, which he says include allowing people to leave and no reprisals against enemies.
Zainab filled all the forms for a special immigrant visa but now can only watch as the Americans leave Afghanistan. Eight thousand miles away, all her husband can do is hope.
The insurgents' every action is being watched closely. They insist they have changed and won't impose the same restrictions they did when they last ruled, but many remain skeptical.
