Afghanistan Taliban rulers mark 5 years: Kabul residents seek jobs, education

Key Points:

• As Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers mark five years since regaining power, some Kabul residents acknowledge improved security but emphasize the need for job creation and expanded education access, particularly for girls banned from schooling beyond age 12.
• Despite initial Taliban promises to allow women education and employment within Islamic law, strict bans remain in place on girls’ secondary and higher education, as well as restrictions on women’s public activities, drawing international condemnation.
• The United Nations highlights that Afghanistan faces the world’s most severe women’s rights crisis, with systemic exclusion from education, employment, and public life threatening the country’s social and economic future.
• Taliban officials claim achievements in security, economic stabilization, and infrastructure development, while rejecting UN accusations of terrorism ties and calling for international recognition, currently only granted by Russia.
• UN agencies report a broader educational crisis with over half of primary school-aged children out of school and critical child malnutrition worsening due to funding cuts, underscoring ongoing humanitarian and developmental challenges.