It's been two decades since the Taliban had full control of Afghanistan. NPR's Mary Louise Kelly spoke to historian Carter Malkasian about who's running the Taliban now — and who's funding them.
Speaking about the Taliban's ousting of the U.S.-backed Afghan government, Biden acknowledged, "The truth is this did unfold more quickly than we anticipated."
The Afghan interpreter still suffers from injuries he got during the nine years he worked with the U.S. His children are terrified: "The bad guy is going to come and is going to kill you, then us."
The simple question of whether the U.S. should stay or go was not simple at all. Now Biden's determination to leave Afghanistan has resulted in a bigger mess than he bargained for.
NPR speaks with John Sopko, Special Inspector General for Afghan Reconstruction, about how the U.S. military and Afghan government arrived at this point.
Artist Omaid Sharifi is unsure if he'll be able to continue painting murals on the streets of Kabul following the Taliban's takeover. During pervious Taliban rule, art was discouraged.
"Whatever happens in the coming days, we hold true to the idea that women can and should help shape the future of Afghanistan," said one nonprofit, as alarm rises about the Taliban takeover.
NPR's Ailsa Chang talks with Rangina Hamidi, Afghanistan's acting minister of education, about what it's like on the ground in Kabul during the Taliban's latest military surge in the country.
Images from the ground show hundreds if not thousands of Afghans crowding the airport, including the tarmac, in an apparent attempt to flee the country.
In a sudden, final offensive, the Taliban pushed into Kabul, as Afghanistan's U.S.-backed president left the country and U.S. diplomatic personnel beat a quick retreat from the embassy compound.
President Biden said several days ago that he did not regret his decision to withdraw from Afghanistan. The speed with which the Taliban have swept through is not what he had said to anticipate.
