The Taliban marked the second anniversary of its return to power yesterday with a public holiday. 

But few Afghans, both women and men, have much to celebrate. 

The Taliban, recently stopped most Afghan female staff from working with aid agencies, closed beauty salons, barred women from parks and curtailed their travel in the absence of any male guardian. In March, the UN said that “Afghanistan under the Taliban remains the most repressive country in the world regarding women’s rights.”

The fall of Kabul on 15 August 2021 followed the US decision to pull troops out of the country by September that year. 

Newsnight correspondent Yasminara Khan explores the situation in the country today.

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Taliban troops seized control of Afghanistan's capital, Kabul.

People were fleeing using any means possible.

As Western nations left, following a two-decade presence in Afghanistan, the Taliban made assertions that they had evolved from the group people recalled from the 1990s, extending amnesty to all.

The answer might lie in the lives that numerous Afghans have lived throughout the last 2 years.

Upon their arrival, the Taliban moved quickly to sweep away cultural change that had happened since the 2001 invasion.

Girls' high schools stood empty of students, with education forbidden for teenage girls aged 11 and above.

Women are now unable to comfortably leave their homes without a male guardian, as they could face being questioned by the Taliban.

In recent months, even women's hair salons have been shut down by the Taliban.

We met 2 sisters online to hear firsthand how it now feels to be a woman in Afghanistan.

1 of the 2 had a master's degree, but was made to quit her job.

And the other, who is 16 years old, hasn't been to school for 2 years.

In the past we could meet our friends, but now you don't want to leave home as the outside world is a hostile environment.

With a university degree, I am sitting at home doing nothing.

I had the dream of becoming a journalist just like you.

I was studying very hard and I was learning English to get a scholarship to study in the West.

But in the past 2 years I am stuck at home.

I try to study myself but it's not as good.

My brother goes to school and I envy him.

What is the difference between me and him?

Last week Gordon Brown, former British Prime Minister and the UN special envoy for global education, spoke out about the Taliban's treatment of women and girls.

Gender discrimination is, under the laws and the rules, a crime against humanity.

A listener from inside Afghanistan called the BBC to express his criticism of the UN, the international community and Mr.

We have no food to eat, no clean water, no jobs, this caller said.

A recent report from the United Nations says the country is facing an unparalleled crisis.

It finds 24.4 million people require humanitarian aid and over 90% of the population are living in poverty.

I work as a doctor attending to numerous patients daily who exhibit unusual symptoms.

Sadly, they are all grappling with malnutrition.

When I prescribe medications to them, they express their inability to afford them.

The situation is heart-wrenching, particularly since women lack access to essential healthcare services.

The Taliban's prohibition on male doctors visiting female patients has exacerbated the issue.

Unfortunately, the number of female doctors is limited.

Tragically just a few days ago a pregnant mother lost her life while delivering twins because there were no specialists available to assist.

As a female doctor my days are filled with attending to multiple patients.

However, I don't feel secure staying out late in the evening to treat them all.

There's a constant fear of being apprehended by the Taliban, who stop and question women seen walking the streets without male companions.

Those breaking the Taliban rules face punishment.

The Taliban has also taken a hard line on homosexuality.

I fled from home because the Taliban wanted to arrest me.

They had reports about me and arrested my friends only because they had long hair.

We are waiting to be caught by them and die.

We put these allegations to Sahil Shaheen, the head of the Taliban's political office in Doha and is 1 of their spokespeople.

We do not deny their women access to education, but we want to put it in our Islamic environment, an environment in the light of our national and Islamic values.

1 thing is clear that I said we are resolving all issues in the light of our Islamic rules.

So that's and also we resolve issue in the light of our national interest and national values.

Covering their faces these 2 women are doing something prohibited to them, singing a song.

Your fight is beautiful because you are a woman, they say.

Our home has been ruined, but you will own it.


Speaker 0: It has been 2 years since this. Taliban troops seized control of Afghanistan's capital, Kabul. People were fleeing using any means possible. As Western nations left, following a two-decade presence in Afghanistan, the Taliban made assertions that they had evolved from the group people recalled from the 1990s, extending amnesty to all. Few believe their claims.

Why? The answer might lie in the lives that numerous Afghans have lived throughout the last 2 years. Upon their arrival, the Taliban moved quickly to sweep away cultural change that had happened since the 2001 invasion. Women were removed from public spaces. Girls' high schools stood empty of students, with education forbidden for teenage girls aged 11 and above.

Women were barred from universities. Women are now unable to comfortably leave their homes without a male guardian, as they could face being questioned by the Taliban. They could not use public baths. In recent months, even women's hair salons have been shut down by the Taliban. We met 2 sisters online to hear firsthand how it now feels to be a woman in Afghanistan.

1 of the 2 had a master's degree, but was made to quit her job. And the other, who is 16 years old, hasn't been to school for 2 years. WOMAN

Speaker 1: TRANSLATING IN FARSI

Speaker 2: TRANSLATION

Speaker 3: It's very difficult to leave home. In the past we could meet our friends, but now you don't want to leave home as the outside world is a hostile environment. With a university degree, I am sitting at home doing nothing.

Speaker 4: I cannot go to school. I am bored. I had the dream of becoming a journalist just like you. I was studying very hard and I was learning English to get a scholarship to study in the West. But in the past 2 years I am stuck at home.

I am bored. I try to study myself but it's not as good. My brother goes to school and I envy him. What is the difference between me and him? Our dreams were shattered.

Speaker 0: Last week Gordon Brown, former British Prime Minister and the UN special envoy for global education, spoke out about the Taliban's treatment of women and girls.

Speaker 2: Gender discrimination is, under the laws and the rules, a crime against humanity.

Speaker 0: All mouth and no action. A listener from inside Afghanistan called the BBC to express his criticism of the UN, the international community and Mr. Brown. We have no food to eat, no clean water, no jobs, this caller said. A recent report from the United Nations says the country is facing an unparalleled crisis.

It finds 24.4 million people require humanitarian aid and over 90% of the population are living in poverty.

Speaker 1: I work as a doctor attending to numerous patients daily who exhibit unusual symptoms. Sadly, they are all grappling with malnutrition. When I prescribe medications to them, they express their inability to afford them. The situation is heart-wrenching, particularly since women lack access to essential healthcare services. The Taliban's prohibition on male doctors visiting female patients has exacerbated the issue.

Unfortunately, the number of female doctors is limited. Tragically just a few days ago a pregnant mother lost her life while delivering twins because there were no specialists available to assist. Both infants also perished. As a female doctor my days are filled with attending to multiple patients. However, I don't feel secure staying out late in the evening to treat them all.

There's a constant fear of being apprehended by the Taliban, who stop and question women seen walking the streets without male companions.

Speaker 0: Those breaking the Taliban rules face punishment. The Taliban has also taken a hard line on homosexuality.

Speaker 5: I live on top of a hill. I fled from home because the Taliban wanted to arrest me. They had reports about me and arrested my friends only because they had long hair. We had a better life before. We used to meet openly in cafes.

We used to dance. But we lost our lives. We are waiting to be caught by them and die.

Speaker 0: We put these allegations to Sahil Shaheen, the head of the Taliban's political office in Doha and is 1 of their spokespeople.

Speaker 2: We do not deny their women access to education, but we want to put it in our Islamic environment, an environment in the light of our national and Islamic values. 1 thing is clear that I said we are resolving all issues in the light of our Islamic rules. So that depends on what our rule say. So that's and also we resolve issue in the light of our national interest and national values.

Speaker 0: Covering their faces these 2 women are doing something prohibited to them, singing a song. The melody they sing is a classic tune. Your fight is beautiful because you are a woman, they say. Our home has been ruined, but you will own it. 1 day.

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Afghanistan: Inside the world’s most repressive country for women - BBC Newsnight