{"id":77454,"date":"2023-08-14T17:31:34","date_gmt":"2023-08-14T17:31:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2023\/08\/14\/what-has-happened-in-afghanistan-since-the-2021-taliban-takeover\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T15:36:33","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T15:36:33","slug":"what-has-happened-in-afghanistan-since-the-2021-taliban-takeover","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/flashpoints\/2023\/08\/14\/what-has-happened-in-afghanistan-since-the-2021-taliban-takeover\/","title":{"rendered":"What has happened in Afghanistan since the 2021 Taliban takeover?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">KABUL, Afghanistan \u2014 Here is a look at key dates since&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2021\/08\/24\/taliban-takeover-prompts-fears-of-a-resurgent-al-qaida\/\" target=\"_blank\">the Taliban<\/a>&nbsp;came back to power two years ago, as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/newsletters\/breaking-news-alert\/2021\/08\/30\/its-official-the-us-has-no-boots-on-the-ground-in-afghanistan\/\" target=\"_blank\">U.S. and NATO forces withdrew<\/a> from the country:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Aug. 15, 2021 \u2014 The Taliban march into Kabul as internationally backed President Ashraf Ghani flees the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2023\/06\/30\/state-dept-we-failed-to-plan-or-respond-fast-enough-to-afghan-chaos\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"223\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AfghanKabulAirportTakeover.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">State Dept: We failed to plan or respond fast enough to Afghan chaos<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">The review repeatedly blames former President Donald Trump for not doing enough planning or processing of visas after beginning the withdrawal.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Aug. 26, 2021 \u2014 Islamic State group suicide bombers and gunmen&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/flashpoints\/afghanistan\/2022\/04\/03\/hell-at-abbey-gate-chaos-confusion-and-death-in-the-final-days-of-the-war-in-afghanistan\/\" target=\"_blank\">kill over 170 Afghans and 13 U.S. troops<\/a>&nbsp;in an attack on the crowds trying to be evacuated at Kabul\u2019s airport.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">March 23, 2022 \u2014 On the day high schools are opening, the Taliban suddenly&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/afghanistan-education-kabul-taliban-dcdc0ba6768213009f69cc6e284d7f52\" target=\"_blank\">reverse a promise to allow girls<\/a>&nbsp;above the sixth grade to attend schools. Girls who showed up for the first day of classes are told to go home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">May 7, 2022 \u2014 The Taliban Virtue and Vice Ministry issues orders that women in public must wear all-encompassing robes and cover their faces&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/afghanistan-education-kabul-taliban-dcdc0ba6768213009f69cc6e284d7f52\" target=\"_blank\">except for their eyes.<\/a>&nbsp;It advises them to stay home unless they have important work outside the house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">June 22, 2022 \u2014 A&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/afghanistan-earthquakes-bacc4c96b7a07b5d7d397bee9eb9d3c8\" target=\"_blank\">powerful earthquake<\/a>&nbsp;hits a remote region of eastern Afghanistan, killing more than 1,100 people. The Taliban struggle with rescue efforts, underscoring a lack of resources and a reliance on aid groups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">July 31, 2022 \u2014 The U.S.&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2022\/08\/01\/us-operation-killed-al-qaida-leader-al-zawahri-source-says\/\" target=\"_blank\">kills al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahri<\/a>&nbsp;in a drone strike on a safehouse in Kabul where he has been staying for months. U.S. officials accuse the Taliban of sheltering him in violation of the Doha Agreement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sept. 5, 2022 &#8211; An IS suicide bombing&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/afghanistan-russia-ukraine-explosions-kabul-00bf5815018fb152be8784f6f3af2557\" target=\"_blank\">kills two diplomats<\/a>&nbsp;at the Russian Embassy in Kabul, a rare assault on a foreign diplomatic mission. Russia is among the handful of countries with a working embassy in Afghanistan, and the only European one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sept. 30, 2022 &#8211; A&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/afghanistan-kabul-taliban-a7db483007379616ceee679289a00be0\" target=\"_blank\">suicide bomber strikes an education center<\/a>&nbsp;in a Shiite area of the capital, killing dozens of people, including teenagers taking university entrance exams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"5500\" height=\"3667\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP23220412978866.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"A Taliban fighter stands guard as women wait to receive food rations distributed by a humanitarian aid group in Kabul, Afghanistan, Tuesday, May 23, 2023.\" class=\"wp-image-108832\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP23220412978866.jpg.jpg 5500w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP23220412978866.jpg.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP23220412978866.jpg.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP23220412978866.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,683 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP23220412978866.jpg.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP23220412978866.jpg.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 5500px) 100vw, 5500px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">FILE &#8211; A Taliban fighter stands guard as women wait to receive food rations distributed by a humanitarian aid group in Kabul, Afghanistan, Tuesday, May 23, 2023. (Ebrahim Noroozi\/AP, File)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Nov. 10, 2022 &#8211; A&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/afghanistan-religion-womens-rights-taliban-177fd5045f692b2572b0f202d25c4d3a\" target=\"_blank\">nationwide ban on women using gyms and parks<\/a>&nbsp;comes into force. The Taliban they they imposed the ban because women allegedly disobeyed gender segregation rules or didn\u2019t wear hijabs, or Islamic headscarves, properly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Nov. 20, 2022 &#8211; The&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/afghanistan-business-crime-theft-taliban-89d75fbfdec63b7078fcfa3bc66ad171\" target=\"_blank\">Taliban lash 19 people<\/a>, including alleged adulterers, in the first public flogging since the return to Taliban rule.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Dec. 8, 2022 &#8211; The Taliban execute a convicted killer before hundreds of spectators in the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/afghanistan-taliban-zabihullah-mujahid-haibatullah-akhundzada-0a2a68a4c612fddc373947a97a68627b\" target=\"_blank\">first public execution<\/a>&nbsp;since the takeover.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Dec. 21, 2022 &#8211; The&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/afghanistan-taliban-3cea615c4d5d6d5d7da68b593a7546f2\" target=\"_blank\">Taliban bar female students from attending university<\/a>, having already banned girls from middle school and high school.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/flashpoints\/afghanistan\/2023\/05\/18\/rights-group-documents-abuses-since-taliban-takeover-of-afghanistan\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"202\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP23137526350452.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Rights group documents abuses since Taliban takeover of Afghanistan<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">A U.K.-based rights group launched an interactive map documenting human rights abuses since the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Dec. 24, 2022 &#8211; The Taliban bar Afghan women from working with&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/afghanistan-education-taliban-7583cf97e3d96e0d07cd7674c3b5a3c3\" target=\"_blank\">national and international nongovernmental groups<\/a>, after already excluding them from most jobs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">March 9, 2023 &#8211; The U.N. says Afghanistan has become&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/taliban-afghanistan-women-rights-united-nations-591c39436d53f83e5a0c423c5e06891c\" target=\"_blank\">the most repressive<\/a>&nbsp;country in the world for women and girls, depriving them of virtually all their basic rights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">April 6, 2023 &#8211; The Taliban\u2019s chief spokesman&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/taliban-spokesman-moved-form-capital-to-southern-kandahar-000a71c8bbe84827b3dd25ec6a787e3e\" target=\"_blank\">relocates his office from Kabul to Kandahar<\/a>, the spiritual birthplace of the movement and the base of the supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada. It\u2019s the clearest sign yet of a power shift to the south.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">April 10, 2023 &#8211; The U.N. warns that its Afghan operations remain&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/afghanistan-food-united-nations-taliban-8161fb51986801084c5e91bcf433f9ac\" target=\"_blank\">severely under-funded<\/a>. It previously said that Afghanistan is its lowest-funded operation globally, despite being the world\u2019s biggest humanitarian crisis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">July 4, 2023 &#8211; The Taliban&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/taliban-beauty-salons-ban-womens-rights-afghanistan-06f401ddb19dc4176f0907f144995a99\" target=\"_blank\">order beauty salons to shut<\/a>&nbsp;down for offering&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/taliban-ban-women-beauty-salons-fbc0ee6289a78386441941359ec43307\" target=\"_blank\">un-Islamic services<\/a>&nbsp;like eyebrow shaping. The decision affects as many as 60,000 female entrepreneurs and further restricts meeting places for women outside the home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">July 19, 2023 &#8211; The Taliban&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/afghanistan-taliban-women-salon-ban-protest-e48fda5b222e5ac51ed8b29768339a5e\" target=\"_blank\">use stun guns<\/a>&nbsp;on women protesting a ban on beauty salons, spraying the demonstrators with water and firing into the air to break up the crowd.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan on Aug. 15, 2021, as U.S and NATO forces withdrew from the country after more than two decades of war.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":108828,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":8,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[101,8,12,26],"tags":[],"coauthors":[7003],"class_list":["post-77454","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-flashpoints","category-news","category-newsletters"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"TX6G2GIYLFCDXB2FOSOFGC6TRE","arc_canonical_url":"\/flashpoints\/afghanistan\/2023\/08\/14\/what-has-happened-in-afghanistan-since-the-2021-taliban-takeover\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented 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property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan on Aug. 15, 2021, as U.S and NATO forces withdrew from the country after more than two decades of war.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/flashpoints\/2023\/08\/14\/what-has-happened-in-afghanistan-since-the-2021-taliban-takeover\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Navy Times\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-08-14T17:31:34+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-08T15:36:33+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Riazat Butt, The Associated Press\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Riazat Butt, The Associated Press\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" 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