It's been two decades since the Taliban had full control of Afghanistan. NPR's Mary Louise Kelly spoke to historian Carter Malkasian about who's running the Taliban now — and who's funding them.
The U.S. government's goals frequently shifted, creating "20 one-year reconstruction efforts, rather than one 20-year effort," an inspector general's report says.
A journalist based in Afghanistan's capital said Tuesday is better than the day before, with some signs of normalcy, even as the future of the country and many of its citizens is in limbo.
Speaking about the Taliban's ousting of the U.S.-backed Afghan government, Biden acknowledged, "The truth is this did unfold more quickly than we anticipated."
President Biden addressed the nation after images from the airport in the Afghan capital showed desperate people fleeing before the Taliban advance. He said he stands by his decision to withdraw.
Russia had a humiliating withdrawal from Afghanistan, so while taking some satisfaction in the U.S. failure, it's not gloating. Instability in the region is a danger to Russia's Asian neighbors.
NPR's Mary Louise Kelly speaks with Saad Mohseni, the CEO of Moby Media Group which oversees TOLO News in Afghanistan, about what Afghans stand to lose if the Taliban seize power.