7. The doctor

If only - Lyse Doucet talks to poet, former ambassador and former Mujahideen fighter, Massoud Khalili. Now 74, he’s lived through many of the pivotal moments of 43 years of war in Afghanistan. He and Lyse reflect on the missed opportunities and the mistakes that haunt Afghanistan ...  Show more

An eyewitness account from the presidential palace as the Taliban encircle Kabul. He was the president’s chief of staff, she was the ambassador in Washington. Both were appointed by President Ghani: Matin Bek, the son of a warlord, and Adela Raz, the daughter of an intellectual. ...  Show more

One year ago this week, when the Taliban retook control of Afghanistan, they promised to institute a modern form of Islamic government that honored women’s rights.

That promise evaporated with a sudden decision to prohibit girls from going to high school, prompting quest ...

A damning new report released today from a US watchdog blames both the Trump and Biden administration for the swift collapse of the Afghan military in August last year. Afghans are now living with the consequences, with women and girls bearing the biggest burdens. After 20 years ...  Show more

In Afghanistan, high schools are currently closed to girls, and women have been banned from TV dramas. So how hard is life for the female half of the population, as the Taliban reassert control?Tamasin Ford hears from her colleague Yalda Hakim, who recently returned to the Afghan ...  Show more

This episode contains descriptions of violence.

In the two years since the United States pulled out of Afghanistan, the Taliban has shut women and girls out of public life.

Christina Goldbaum, a correspondent in the Kabul bureau for The New York Times, trave ...