Will history repeat itself when the US leaves Afghanistan? The Taliban continue to advance ahead of a drawdown that could be finalised in a matter of weeks. The insurgency has even reached the gates of Kunduz, far from its traditional base in the south. As we illustrate in an excerpt from our exclusive report, the Taliban already control vast swathes of the countryside. Is their return to power inevitable? Does it signal an end to women's rights and civil liberties as was the case in pre-9/11 Afghanistan?
How to offer an alternative that will federate Afghans? If Kabul in 2021 is doomed to resemble Saigon and the collapse of the South Vietnam regime in 1975, there is a big difference: Communist Vietnam never harboured militants who planted bombs on five continents.
>> Watch our full report – Afghanistan: Life in Taliban Country
Produced by Alessandro Xenos, Juliette Laurain, Sophie Pizzimenti, Imen Mellaz and Jack Colmer Gale.
