Taliban Firmly in Control in Afghanistan 25 Years After US-Led Invasion to Oust Them
The war killed more than 100,000 Afghan civilians and left women and girls facing sweeping restrictions, according to the United Nations.
- Thursday, October 8, 2026, marks 25 years since the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan began. The Taliban are now firmly back in control, having reinstated draconian restrictions, particularly on women and girls.
- Deputy government spokesman Hamdullah Fitrat called October 7, 2001, a "dark day," stating that after a long struggle, "Afghans succeeded in liberating their country" following the 20-year war that cost tens of thousands of Afghan lives.
- Former doctor Muin Gul Chamkanai, who heads the Shkula Charitable Foundation, noted the American presence brought certain freedoms but "pervasive corruption and often heavy-handed military tactics soon bred deep resentment," making outcomes the "exact opposite" of stated goals.
- Dr. Nigar Nangrahari, 58, observed that while the U.S. presence improved infrastructure, "they granted us freedom-- but not the kind that Afghans could truly benefit from," as women now face bans on higher education.
- Clothing shop owner Tahmina Mangal urges women to "study, pursue professional training alongside your regular schooling, and seek higher education," warning that without educated women, Afghanistan will lack doctors and teachers for society.
44 Articles
44 Articles
The war on terror failed Afghanistan. But the people’s hopes for democracy live on
Behrouz Mehri/AFP via Getty ImagesTwenty-five years ago this week, the United States launched strikes in Afghanistan, targeting al-Qaeda training camps and Taliban military installations. It marked the beginning of the first military campaign in the US-led “global war on terror”. This war, supported by an international coalition that grew to include about 50 nations, came in direct response to the September 11 2001 terrorist attacks. It was to b…
Los Angeles Times
Independent EspañolDr. Nigar Nangrahari was on the night shift at a hospital in Kabul when the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan began 25 years ago, an event that would mark her life and the future of her country for decades.
Throughout US War on Afghanistan, “We Could Clearly See Failure Was Coming”
This week marks 25 years since the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan, the beginning of what would become the longest war in U.S. history. After installing a pro-Western government in Kabul in December 2001, U.S. and other NATO troops would remain in the country for the next two decades battling a stubborn insurgency — until a chaotic U.S. withdrawal in August 2021 that saw the Taliban return to… Source
A quarter-century later, the legacy of the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan endures
Dr. Nigar Nangrahari was on a night shift in a Kabul hospital when the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan began 25 years ago - an event that would shape her and her country's future for decades to come.
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