Taliban on the rise in Afghanistan after US pullout

After the withdrawal of NATO troops, the Taliban are recapturing more and more territory in Afghanistan. Afghans who worked with the NATO troops are in particular fear for their lives and are desperate to flee the country.

  • Taliban fighters and a military vehicle in Kunduz (photo: Abdullah Sahil/AP/picture-alliance)
    The fears expressed by many domestic and global leaders have proven justified: after the withdrawal of international forces, the war between the Taliban and the Afghan security forces has reignited in many places.
  • Damaged clinic after airstrikes in Lashkar Gah, Helmand Province (photo: Abdul Khaliq/AP/picture-alliance)
    The Taliban troops are advancing and their attacks are hitting the civilian population hard, such as here in Lashkar Gah, a city south of Kabul, where an airstrike destroyed a hospital and a school last weekend.
  • Station wagon with bedding and a barrel strapped to the roof and people in the hatch (photo: Hamed Sarfarazi/AP/picture-alliance)
    For Afghans who worked with NATO forces, the situation is becoming particularly bad. They fear revenge attacks and are trying to bring themselves and their families to safety. When the Taliban arrives, only the most essential things are packed up and taken out – often through the middle of the front line, as here on Sunday in the outskirts of Herat, west of Kabul.
  • Busy street scene in Kunduz with damaged buildings, people and vehicles (photo: Abdullah Sahil/AP/picture-alliance)
    The Taliban also won the battle for Kunduz at the weekend, occupying the governor's office and the police headquarters. Parts of the city have been destroyed, such as this row of shops.
  • Taliban fighters stand guard at a roundabout in Kunduz (photo: Abdullah Sahil/AP/picture-alliance)
    In captured Kunduz, the Taliban flag has been hoisted – a symbol of the failure of domestic forces in the struggle for Afghanistan. The withdrawal of NATO troops opened the door for the Taliban to retake power after 20 years.
  • A woman fans a sleeping child in a Kabul park (photo: Rahmat Gul/AP/picture-alliance)
    Many displaced Afghans have taken refuge in Kabul, where they are forced to camp in parks because of a lack of shelters in the capital. Although many countries had claimed to offer Afghans who had worked with international troops the prospect of leaving the country, the applications often remained unanswered. It is estimated that hundreds of thousands of Afghans are currently fleeing the country.