Afghanistan marks five years under Taliban rule amid security gains and education crisis

Aug 14, 2026

Afghanistan marks five years under Taliban rule since the August 15, 2021 takeover. While residents report improved street safety and reduced conflict, the country faces a severe humanitarian and economic crisis. The Taliban's ban on female education has excluded 2.4 million girls from secondary school, while boys face a declining quality of education as curriculum shifts toward religious studies. The regime remains internationally isolated, recognized formally only by Russia.

Taliban five-year rule anniversary

▪The Taliban marked five years since regaining control of Afghanistan on August 15, 2021, following the withdrawal of U.S. and NATO troops.
▪The Taliban's deputy minister for broadcasting, Molvi Hayatullah Mahajar Farahi, stated that the administration has fulfilled all requirements for official international recognition.
▪The Taliban government remains isolated internationally and is formally recognized only by Russia as of August 2026.

Girls' secondary education ban

▪The number of Afghan girls excluded from secondary education increased by 200,000 in August 2026 compared to the previous year, according to UNESCO.
▪The Taliban's ban on girls' education beyond the sixth grade has excluded an estimated 2.4 million girls from secondary education, according to UNESCO.
▪UNESCO reported that 53% of primary school-aged children in Afghanistan are out of school due to a broader educational infrastructure crisis.

Women's rights restrictions

▪The Taliban has restricted women from entering gyms, parks, and public baths, and banned them from traveling long distances without a male guardian.
▪U.N. Women stated that Afghanistan has systematically dismantled the rights of half its population, creating the world's most severe women's rights crisis.
▪The special representative for U.N. Women in Afghanistan, Sarah Ferguson, stated that the agency has received only a quarter of its required donor funding.

Boys' education quality decline

▪Afghan schoolboys face a serious education crisis characterized by reduced instruction in science, English, and civic subjects, according to student interviews.
▪The Afghanistan Human Rights Center reported that only 316 of the Taliban's registered religious education centers were newly constructed.
▪The Taliban Ministry of Education oversees 22,972 religious education centers, compared to approximately 5,000 registered under the previous Afghan government.

Security improvements since takeover

▪The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan stated that a reduction in conflict has brought tangible recovery and development benefits to the country.
▪Kabul residents reported feeling safer after decades of conflict, acknowledging a reduction in active warfare since the Taliban takeover.
▪The regional branch of the Islamic State remains active in Afghanistan, claiming responsibility for high-profile attacks against Taliban officials.

Economic hardship unemployment crisis

▪The U.N. World Food Program reported that child malnutrition has reached critical levels in one-third of Afghanistan's provinces.
▪Afghan citizens and advocates have urged the Taliban government to focus on creating employment opportunities for the country's youth.