Im Krisenmodus

Krisen-Reporter Jan Jessen berichtet

Afghanistan Five Years Under the Taliban: Safer, but Not Free

In Crisis Mode

Veröffentlicht am 05.09.2026 / 04:55

Anmerkungen

This Episode is made with the help of AI


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Five years after the Taliban seized power, Afghanistan has changed fundamentally. Major fighting has died down in many parts of the country, the security situation has improved, and construction is picking up again. At the same time, many people are living in poverty, unemployment remains high, and women and girls are excluded from secondary and higher education.

In this episode of Im Krisenmodus, FUNKE war and crisis reporter Jan Jessen speaks to people experiencing this new reality in very different ways.

In Kabul, Jan meets teacher Rohina Popalzai. Rohina talks about women who have lost educational and professional opportunities – and about her cautious hope for change.

In Logar Province, Jan meets brickworks owner Abdul Rahman Bhatti. His business has grown over the past five years. He sees the improved security situation as one reason why people are returning, investing and building houses again.

How limited that security can be becomes clear to Jan in the border province of Paktia. There, doctor Fathullah stands amid the ruins of his home. His 14-year-old brother was killed in an airstrike, while Fathullah and his wife were seriously injured. Fathullah also describes a second attack on people who came to help the wounded.

What have five years of Taliban rule changed in Afghanistan? And who has the country actually become safer for?


In this episode

Jan Jessen – Head of Politics at NRZ and war and crisis reporter for FUNKE Media Group

Rohina Popalzai – Teacher and spokesperson for a state school in Kabul

Abdul Rahman Bhatti – Brickworks owner from Logar Province

Fathullah – Doctor from Paktia Province and survivor of an airstrike on his home

Chapters

01 | What has changed under the Taliban?

Five years after the Taliban seized power, Jan Jessen travels through Afghanistan. The country has become safer in many parts, while poverty, unemployment and severe restrictions on women continue to shape everyday life.

02 | Rohina Popalzai: Women Shut Out of Higher Education

The teacher from Kabul talks about girls’ education, the lack of educational and professional opportunities for women.

03 | Abdul Rahman Bhatti: Why Construction Is Picking Up Again

A brickworks owner in Logar talks about rising demand, Afghans returning home and the economic impact of the improved security situation.

04 | Fathullah: An Airstrike on His Family

The doctor from Paktia talks about the airstrike on his home, the death of his 14-year-old brother and a second attack on people who came to help the wounded.

05 | Who Is Afghanistan Safer For?

Three encounters reveal the contradictions of five years of Taliban rule: greater security and renewed construction on the one hand, fewer freedoms for women and continued violence in some parts of the country on the other.

Recommended Episodes

Earthquake in Afghanistan – Survivors Without Help

Flood Disaster in Afghanistan: A Forgotten Tragedy

Afghan Children: Seeking Treatment in Germany


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✉️ krisenmodus@funkemedien.de


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In Crisis Mode is a podcast by FUNKE Media Group.