{
  "id": 1018195,
  "title": "Taliban authorities mark five years ruling Afghanistan",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/15/taliban-authorities-mark-five-years-ruling-afghanistan-1018195",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-15T08:28:54.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "RTE News",
    "slug": "rte-news",
    "url": "https://www.rte.ie/news/world/2026/0815/1587986-taliban-afghanistan-power/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Over the past five years, the Taliban's harsh rule in Afghanistan has subjected women and girls to severe discrimination, abuse, and exclusion, according to Minister for Foreign Affairs, Helen McEntee. The Islamist government has portrayed itself as in control, despite warnings from aid and rights groups about escalating crises in the country. International organizations and the UN argue that the Taliban struggles to address natural and humanitarian crises due to strict restrictions on Afghan women.\n\nMinister McEntee highlighted how the restrictions on women's access to education, employment, freedom of movement, and public life constitute an assault on human dignity. She expressed deep concern for the Afghan people and their fundamental human rights, emphasizing the profound impact of the Taliban's policies on vulnerable groups and minorities.\n\nHundreds of Afghans gathered around a square near the former US embassy to mark the fifth anniversary of the Taliban's takeover on August 15, 2021. Men, boys, and young girls were seen waving Taliban government flags, taking selfies, and posing for pictures. Murals around the city declared that \"Independence is a sign of dignity, pride and identity.\" Military helicopters flew overhead, and security forces stood among the crowd with AK-47 rifles.\n\nThe authorities plan to host sports events, which girls and women are prohibited from attending. Taliban fighters seized Kabul without resistance following a swift offensive that toppled government forces amid the chaotic withdrawal of US-led troops. Some abandoned vehicles, such as Humvees, were driven through the city, and checkpoints increased. University student Pirooz Mirzaie noted that the government has brought security and infrastructure projects but lamented the lack of job opportunities for young people.\n\nTaliban spokesman Mujahid stated that the authorities are laying the foundations for the economy, urging patience. However, GDP per capita is declining due to the influx of over six million Afghans from neighboring Iran and Pakistan in three years. The World Bank estimated real growth at 4.8%. Despite forging ties with multiple countries, including Europe, the Taliban government is only recognized by Russia. Relations with neighboring Pakistan have worsened, leading to war and exacerbating the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan when international aid cuts were already a significant issue. The UN expressed deep concern over the consolidation of suffocating restrictions on the daily lives of Afghans, affecting their human rights. The Committee to Protect Journalists criticized the Taliban's brutal repression of the press, which has led to surveillance, detention, beatings, censorship, or exile of media workers. Women have faced particularly harsh measures, being banned from public places and most jobs, while education for girls beyond age 12 is prohibited. One anonymous 23-year-old woman expressed a profound sense of suffocation, feeling like a 500-year-old woman who cannot die.",
  "summary": "Minister for Foreign Affairs, Helen McEntee has said that over the past five years, women and girls in Afghanistan have been subjected to an appalling campaign of discriminatory violence, abuse and exclusion.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 4,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Free Malaysia Today",
        "title": "Taliban govt to mark 5 years of ruling Afghanistan",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/15/taliban-govt-to-mark-5-years-of-ruling-afghanistan",
        "published": "2026-08-15T04:58:08.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "RFI English",
        "title": "Five years into Taliban rule, Afghanistan seeks to ease international isolation",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/15/five-years-into-taliban-rule-afghanistan-seeks-to-ease-international",
        "published": "2026-08-15T07:21:27.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "RTE News",
        "title": "Taliban authorities mark five years ruling Afghanistan",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/15/taliban-authorities-mark-five-years-ruling-afghanistan",
        "published": "2026-08-15T08:28:54.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}