Have the Taliban changed? Fear of reprisals as evacuation deadline looms
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Their fashion style is up to date, and they know how to navigate social media, but have the Taliban really changed? Some of the fighters making a victory lap around Kabul were not even born the last time their commanders ruled the Afghan capital. They have now swept to power with little resistance, knowing that the hard part still lies ahead.
In Afghanistan, alliances can unravel as quickly as they coalesce. With two competing Taliban shuras (councils) and leaders that consist of a mix of local militiamen and commanders who have returned to the country from abroad. Can the new masters meet their goal of forging a national unity government?
And can the international community do business with a regime that largely went unrecognised in its last incarnation? From the US, which is still negotiating over that August 31 evacuation deadline, to neighbors like Pakistan and China.
Produced by Alessandro Xenos, Juliette Laurain and Imen Mellaz.
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