Under Taliban rule, residents of Kunduz fear the future: 'People are scared'

Taliban fighters in Kunduz.
(Image credit: AP Photo/Abdullah Sahil)

The Taliban has proclaimed it won't lead by fear in Afghanistan, but residents of Kunduz — a city seized by the militant group just a week ago — say they are already under strict rule, with checkpoints on nearly every street corner, alcohol sales banned, and women who work for the government told to stay home.

Before the U.S. war in Afghanistan began in 2001, the Taliban ruled Afghanistan for five years, enforcing extreme sharia law. There were mass executions of civilians; women were prohibited from attending school, forced to wear burqas, and had to be accompanied by a male relative while in public; and photography, paintings, and most music and movies were banned. With the U.S. withdrawing, the Taliban has swept across Afghanistan, seizing major border crossings and cities. Now that its fighters are in Kabul and have seized the presidential palace, the Taliban is effectively in control of Afghanistan.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.