Afghans are suffering. Don’t expect any tears from the Taliban
Three years on from America’s humiliating departure, the country is ignored
![An Afghan man walks past a barber shop with defaced images of men in Kabul, Afghanistan on January 31st 2024](https://www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1424,quality=80,format=auto/content-assets/images/20240817_ASP503.jpg)
THE STREETS of Kabul used to be riotously, almost headache-inducingly colourful. There were billboards advertising Western wear and Punjabi salwar kameez, murals promoting women’s and children’s rights, and everywhere the black-red-green tricolour of the Afghan Republic. Since the Taliban took over three years ago, a monochrome pall has settled on the city. Old posters have been ripped away. Murals have been painted over. The austere flag of the Afghan Emirate dominates, black text on a pure white field.
Asia August 17th 2024
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