Kabul under the Taliban: “Women only expect bad things”

More burqas in the streets, attacks by the new rulers: a lot has changed in Afghanistan since the Americans left. At the same time, the Taliban are trying to improve their image.

After taking power in Afghanistan, the Taliban tried to dispel reservations from abroad. As ARD-Correspondent Markus Spieker from Kabul reports that the Islamists have announced that they will punish those Taliban who used violence against protests by women against the new regime over the weekend. Moderators can still be seen on television, albeit with headgear. How credible this “charm offensive” is, however, is another question. “My impression is that you see fewer women in the city than before. And more women with burqas,” said Spieker. “All the educated women I have spoken to say they only expect bad things from the new regime.”

The reason for the current relative reluctance of the Taliban is the hope for support. “There is no money without international recognition,” said Spieker. But that is urgently needed at the moment. There is a threat of famine, possibly a civil war. The prospect of financial support is “one of the main reasons” for the currently still moderate demeanor, which also enables media professionals to work in Afghanistan.