Five years on, the Taliban govern Afghanistan with a confidence that would have been difficult to imagine in 2021, consolidating power and establishing a functioning — yet highly repressive — state. While the Taliban claim they have brought peace and security, absence of battlefield violence alone cannot guarantee long-term peace. Peace also requires the conditions for justice, inclusion, dignity, harmony and cohesion. A country in which half the population is systematically excluded from public life cannot meaningfully be described as at peace.

Afghan women remain the most visible casualties of the Taliban’s rule: As of 2026, an estimated 2.4 million Afghan girls remain excluded from secondary education. The Taliban’s restrictions have narrowed women’s access to employment, healthcare, public spaces, movement and political participation. More than 100 restrictive decrees and measures have........

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