
<p><strong>TOPLINE</strong> Saturday was the seventh day that Taliban fighters have been in control of Afghanistan&#8217;s capital after the Western-backed government collapsed last Sunday, leading to scenes of chaos and dramatic shifts.</p>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234782958-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-52248" width="718" height="479" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234782958-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234782958-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234782958-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234782958-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234782958-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 718px) 100vw, 718px" /><figcaption>KABUL, AFGHANISTAN &#8212; AUGUST 20, 2021: Protection detail for Khalil al-Rahman Haqqani, a leader of the Taliban affiliated Haqqani network, and a U.S.-designated terrorist with a five million dollar bounty, after visiting the Pul-I-Khishti Mosque in Kabul, Afghanistan, Friday, Aug. 20, 2021. (MARCUS YAM / LOS ANGELES TIMES)</figcaption></figure></div>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h2>



<p>The Taliban rolled into Kabul last weekend after taking just 11 days to seize control of the vast majority of Afghanistan following a U.S. troop drawdown, and declared the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2021/08/19/taliban-declares-formation-of-islamic-emirate-groups-fighters-open-fire-at-protest-rally/">&#8220;Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan&#8221;</a>&nbsp;on Thursday—the same name Afghanistan had under Taliban rule from 1996 to 2001.</p>



<p>Reporters on the ground in Kabul say Taliban fighters are now patrolling essentially every block in the city, prompting concerns of a return to the brutality seen the last time the Taliban was in power, when it enforced an extremely conservative interpretation of Sharia law.</p>



<p>Afghans desperate to escape the Taliban stormed Hamid Karzai International Airport on Monday, with some dying after clinging onto the outside of a U.S. C-17 military plane as it took off.</p>



<p>Thousands of U.S. soldiers&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/nicholasreimann/2021/08/14/biden-dispatching-2000-more-troops-to-aid-afghanistan-evacuation/">were ordered into Afghanistan</a>&nbsp;to retake control of the airport, with planes now departing full of Americans and Afghan refugees fleeing the country.</p>



<p>The Taliban claims Afghans&#8217; fears are unfounded, promising &#8220;amnesty&#8221; for those who worked with the U.S. and saying some of the harsh policies of their earlier rule—like forbidding education for women—will not be repeated.</p>



<p>There are already signs the Taliban is hardening its rule, though, as fighters go on <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2021/08/20/taliban-kill-journalists-relative-in-intensifying-door-to-door-hunt-for-media-and-collaborators-with-previous-afghan-government-or-us-nato-forces/?sh=4c9e3c6e6544">door-to-door manhunts</a> looking for journalists and those who worked for the previous Afghan government.</p>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234823563-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-52250" width="791" height="527" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234823563-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234823563-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234823563-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234823563-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234823563-2048x1366.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 791px) 100vw, 791px" /><figcaption>TOPSHOT &#8211; Armed Taliban fighters stand next to an Imam during the Friday noon prayer in the Abdul Rahman Mosque in Kabul on August 20, 2021, as the Islamists are swiftly moving to stamp their authority on Afghanistan. (Photo by HOSHANG HASHIMI / AFP) (Photo by HOSHANG HASHIMI/AFP via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234802994-1024x675.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-52249" width="735" height="484" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234802994-1024x675.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234802994-300x198.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234802994-768x506.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234802994-1536x1013.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234802994-2048x1350.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 735px) 100vw, 735px" /><figcaption>HAMID KARZAI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT &#8212; AUGUST 16, 2021:  Maxar satellite imagery of the runway at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Afghanistan.  Please use: Satellite image (c) 2021 Maxar Technologies.</figcaption></figure></div>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1335288603-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-52247" width="681" height="454" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1335288603-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1335288603-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1335288603-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1335288603-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1335288603-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 681px) 100vw, 681px" /><figcaption>BILBAO BASQUE COUNTRY, SPAIN &#8211; AUGUST 20: A woman holds the Afghan flag and cries in a rally to denounce the advance of the Taliban control in Afghanistan and the setback of Human Rights that it means in the citizenship, on 20 August, 2021 in Bilbao, Basque Country, Spain. The protest has been called by the feminist group Euskal Elkartasun Feminista, EEF, in defense of the rights of citizenship and especially of Afghan women and girls, after the Taliban have managed to take control of Afghanistan. (Photo By H.Bilbao/Europa Press via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234825348-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-52246" width="718" height="479" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234825348-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234825348-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234825348-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234825348-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234825348-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 718px) 100vw, 718px" /><figcaption>A Afghan boy walks by the fences guarded by the Pakistani paramilitary personnel at the Pakistan-Afghanistan border crossing point in Chaman on August 23, 2021 following Taliban&#8217;s military takeover of Afghanistan. (Photo by &#8211; / AFP) (Photo by -/AFP via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234813363-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-52244" width="732" height="488" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234813363-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234813363-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234813363-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234813363-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234813363-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 732px) 100vw, 732px" /><figcaption>A man carries Taliban flags to sell at the Karte Mamorin area of Kabul on August 22, 2021. (Photo by Hoshang Hashimi / AFP) (Photo by HOSHANG HASHIMI/AFP via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234779254-1024x689.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-52241" width="679" height="457" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234779254-1024x689.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234779254-300x202.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234779254-768x517.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234779254-1536x1034.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234779254-2048x1378.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 679px) 100vw, 679px" /><figcaption>US President Joe Biden responds to questions about the ongoing US military evacuations of US citizens and vulnerable Afghans, in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on August 20, 2021. &#8211; Biden said Friday he has not seen America&#8217;s allies question US credibility over the conduct of its withdrawal from Afghanistan as the Taliban took over the country. (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP) (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234779888-1024x684.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-52242" width="621" height="415" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234779888-1024x684.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234779888-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234779888-768x513.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234779888-1536x1026.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234779888-2048x1367.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 621px) 100vw, 621px" /><figcaption>Spanish Minister of Presidency Felix Bolanos (2L) welcomes Afghan nationals upon their arrival aboard a second evacuation airplane, carrying Afghan collaborators and their families, that landed at the Torrejon de Ardoz air base, 30 km away from Madrid, on August 20, 2021. &#8211; More than a hundred Afghans arrived today in Madrid, aboard the second evacuation flight organized by Spain since the capture of Kabul by the Taliban. The 110 Afghans left Kabul, passing through Dubai and then landed at the Torrejon de Ardoz military base, northeast of Madrid, where the reception hub for Afghans who worked for the European Union and their families is located. (Photo by Mariscal / POOL / AFP) (Photo by MARISCAL/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234783111-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-52243" width="753" height="502" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234783111-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234783111-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234783111-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234783111-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234783111-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 753px) 100vw, 753px" /><figcaption>KABUL, AFGHANISTAN &#8212; AUGUST 20, 2021: Taliban fighters lay their weapons down and pray during Friday Islamic prayers at the Pul-I-Khishti Mosque in Kabul, Afghanistan, Friday, Aug. 20, 2021. (MARCUS YAM / LOS ANGELES TIMES)</figcaption></figure></div>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="683" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234813363-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-52244" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234813363-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234813363-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234813363-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234813363-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234813363-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption>A man carries Taliban flags to sell at the Karte Mamorin area of Kabul on August 22, 2021. (Photo by Hoshang Hashimi / AFP) (Photo by HOSHANG HASHIMI/AFP via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>



<p><strong><em>By Nicholas Reimann, Forbes Staff</em></strong></p>


Tag: Kabul

FORBES AFRICA SOCIAL MEDIA

9 Days Under The Taliban: Photos Of Kabul Under Its New Rulers