Leaving Afghanistan
What happens after the forever war ends?
The Year Kabul Fell Again
A stunning Taliban takeover left Afghanistan—and the world—transformed.
Why the Taliban Still Love Suicide Bombing
The group is normalizing death and despair in the Islamic Emirate.
U.N., World Bank Under Pressure to Offer Aid to Afghanistan
The existing sanctions regime on Taliban leaders makes it hard for the world to help the Afghan people.
Afghan Refugees Get Cold Welcome in Pakistan
The Taliban takeover has pushed many Afghans over the border and into another kind of limbo.
Taliban takeover
Taliban Splintered by Internal Divisions, External Spoilers
Pakistan said to be supporting alternative jihadi groups to undermine the Taliban and maintain leverage over Afghanistan.
12 Million Angry Men
The Taliban promised justice. They are hard-pressed to provide it.
The Taliban Don’t Need the West
Afghanistan’s new rulers have shown themselves to be skilled—and ruthless—diplomats. 
The Taliban’s Sharia Is the Most Brutal of All
The Afghan government is imposing punishments that have no comparison elsewhere in the Islamic world.
Regional dynamics
Qatari Diplomat: ‘There’s a Serious Need for Engagement’ With the Taliban
Qatar’s assistant foreign minister discussed the Taliban, the need for a clear road map, and Afghanistan’s uncertain future.
Afghanistan Is No Treasure Trove for China
The country’s mineral wealth remains largely theoretical.
Afghanistan Is a Bigger Headache for Tehran Than It Is Letting On
Iran cheered the U.S. withdrawal but is nervously hedging its bets with the Taliban.
Pakistan’s Friendship With the Taliban Is Changing
Expect a recalibration of the relationship by both sides now the Taliban are in power.
Refugee crisis
Will Afghan Refugees Stranded in Southeast Asia Be Resettled?
After the fall of Kabul, some countries are opening their doors. Afghans who have been stuck in Malaysia and Indonesia for years are hoping that they will not be forgotten.
The United States Needs an Afghan Refugee Resettlement Act
Legislation passed in the wake of the Vietnam War could provide a blueprint for today’s policymakers.
Biden Sparked a Refugee Crisis. He Must Help Europe Bear the Cost.
The chaotic U.S. withdrawal has already led thousands of Afghans to flee.
How to Avoid Humanitarian Catastrophe in Afghanistan
The Biden administration should maximize diplomacy and prioritize support for front-line organizations.
Women in Afghanistan
School’s Out in the Taliban’s Afghanistan
The Taliban say modern education is of no use as the country heads toward economic meltdown and starvation.
The Tragic Fate of Afghanistan’s Journalists
Many are fleeing or in hiding. Women, some locked out of their outlets, are in particular danger.
‘They Left Us to the Taliban’
Six Afghan women describe their feelings of fear, anger, and betrayal in the wake of America’s departure.
In Taliban’s New Afghan Emirate, Women Are Invisible
“All the women of Afghanistan have one fear, the Taliban,” said former deputy defense minister Munera Yousufzada.
Latest Stories
Departure of Private Contractors Was a Turning Point in Afghan Military’s Collapse
For two decades, contractors provided key maintenance and military support.
‘I’m Furious. I Feel Helpless.’
American diplomats reckon with Afghanistan’s collapse.
Pakistan and the United States Have Betrayed the Afghan People
Washington ignored Islamabad funding and supplying the Taliban. Now Afghans are paying the price.
Why Afghanistan’s Tribes Beat the United States
Tightly bound kinship networks aren’t vestiges of the past. They’re a modern—and effective—form of political organization.
How Biden Was Right About Afghanistan—and Disastrously Wrong
The president is taking flak from all sides, but the timing of the Taliban takeover could minimize the political damage.
Many Afghans Fear for Their Lives as Taliban Fighters Take Kabul
In a new chapter for Afghanistan, women are particularly vulnerable.
Afghan Government Collapses as Ghani Flees the Country
The United States evacuates its embassy while diplomats and aid officials brace for a new humanitarian catastrophe.
China Is Protecting Its Thin Corridor to the Afghan Heartland
The Wakhan Corridor is a fiercely contested imperial hangover.
The Coming Afghan Refugee Crisis Is Only a Preview
More desperate migrants will head West in coming years—and the West’s migration policies must change in response.
Afghans Need a Humanitarian Intervention Right Now
The U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan should continue. But a new military engagement should begin.
What Went Wrong With Afghanistan’s Defense Forces?
Ten provincial capitals have fallen in a week, and Kabul is teetering.
More Provinces, Atrocities for Rampaging Taliban
Six more Afghan provinces fell over the weekend, and Kabul fears the “country will fall apart.”
U.N. Afghanistan Envoy Issues Desperate Plea to Avert Catastrophe
Deborah Lyons cites Syria and Sarajevo in her warnings of what could come as the Taliban turn their guns toward Afghanistan’s cities.
How Pakistan Could Become Biden’s Worst Enemy
The United States is banking on Islamabad to broker successful peace talks with the Taliban. That’s not likely to happen.
With Militias in Herat, ‘We Are Caught Between Bad and Worse’
Killings by militiamen in Herat underscore the risks of relying on armed civilians to fight off the Taliban.
Taliban Rampage Puts Afghan Journalists in Crosshairs
The last 20 years saw a renaissance in the Afghan media landscape. Now, it’s crumbling.