Taliban fighters enjoy themselves on a merry-go-round swings at City Park, an amusement park, in Kabul, Afghanistan, Saturday, Sept. 11, 2021. Photo: MARCUS YAM / LOS ANGELES TIMES

Surreal Photos From the Taliban’s First Year Back in Power

Afghan society has undergone a dramatic transformation since the Taliban swept to power one year ago.

by Magdaline Duncan

August 10, 2022, 3:06pm

VICE World News marks the first anniversary of the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, from the devastating consequences that ensued to the millions of lives that were transformed.

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It’s been one year since the Taliban reclaimed power in Afghanistan after the withdrawal of US troops and the fall of the Western-backed government. Since then, Afghan society has undergone a dramatic transformation as the Islamist group swiftly began to curtail human rights.

Despite initial promises to the international community and protests both internally and abroad, girls and women have once again been forced out of schools and deprived of freedom of movement, self expression and ability to earn income. Women TV presenters are forced to cover their faces, while women were excluded from a major summit of 3,500 tribal leaders and religious scholars.

Taliban leaders have also cracked down on drug use, conducting raids on addicts and forcibly detaining them before shaving their heads and committing them to rehab.

A TALIBAN MEMBER TRIES TO DESTROY A DVD OF THE CHILDREN'S FILM "KURT BECOMES CRUEL" FOUND IN THE NORWEGIAN EMBASSY IN KABUL. PHOTO: AFSHIN ISMAELI / AFTENPOSTEN / NTB VIA PA

TV anchor Khatereh Ahmadi bows her head while wearing a face covering as she reads the news on TOLO NEWS, in Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, May 22, 2022. Afghanistan's Taliban rulers have begun enforcing an order requiring all female TV news anchors in the country to cover their faces while on-air. Photo: AP/Ebrahim Noroozi

A Taliban fighter, foreground, and a group of Afghan men attend Friday prayers in Kabul, Afghanistan, Friday, Sept. 24, 2021. Photo: AP/Bernat Armangue

A Taliban fighter prays at the Abdul Rahman mosque during Friday prayers in Kabul, Afghanistan, Friday, Sept. 24, 2021. Photo: AP/Felipe Dana

A protester holds a banner as he stands in front of Taliban fighters during a protest condemning President Joe Biden's decision on frozen Afghan assets in Kabul, Afghanistan, Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2022. Photo: AP/Hussein Malla

Drug users detained during a Taliban raid walk in line on their way to the detoxification ward of the Avicenna Medical Hospital for Drug Treatment in Kabul, Afghanistan, Saturday, Oct. 2, 2021. Photo: AP/Felipe Dana

A Taliban fighter sits in the cockpit of an Afghan Air Force aircraft at the airport in Kabul on August 31, 2021, after the US has pulled all its troops out of the country to end a brutal 20-year war -- one that started and ended with the hardline Islamist in power. Photo: Wakil KOHSAR / AFP

A Taliban fighter stands guard next of Afghan protesters, during a protest condemning U.S.President Joe Biden's decision, in Kabul, Afghanistan, Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2022. Photo: AP/Hussein Malla

A Taliban fighter stands guard as Talibans acting Higher Education Minister Abdul Baqi Haqqani (not pictured) addresses a gathering during a consultative meeting on Taliban's general higher education policies at the Loya Jirga Hall in Kabul on August 29, 2021. Photo: Aamir QURESHI / AFP

Afghan burqa-clad women sit in front of a beauty salon with images of women defaced using spray paint in Jalalabad on December 13, 2021. Photo: WAKIL KOHSAR / AFP

AN AFGHAN TV HOST CONDUCTS A STUDIO INTERVIEW SURROUNDED BY ARMED TALIBAN FIGHTERS. PHOTO: SCREENGRAB VIA TWITTER USER @ZDARYABI

Tagged:worldnewsKabulTalibanThe Fall: One Year On

Surreal Photos From the Taliban’s First Year Back in Power

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