Just weeks after the Taliban came to power in Kabul, Afghanistan’s capital, the interior of Afghanistan is once again occupied by armed men who enforce its laws.
Away from Kabul, far from the hectic life of the capital, the Taliban are also present in mountain villages. Women are present on the streets, mostly dressed in burqas and fully covered from head to toe. In the center of the village, the Taliban are recognized for carrying weapons. However, one of them guarantees “to have taken the village without firing a shot”. Their presence is big enough in the place to be able to control the village.
Despite the pressure exerted by the armed group, a woman agrees to confide discreetly to journalists from France Televisores. “The Taliban beat women in the village because they wore very short clothes. I’m afraid the same will happen to me,” she explains. A young man, threatened by his prose, meets his father for the first time since the Taliban’s return. Despite threats to the frightened son, the man does not seem to reject the presence of the armed men. “Since the Taliban arrived 20 days ago, I haven’t even closed the front door of my house. […] No more thieves. We are happy, we need calm “, says the father of the family. A presence that inspires terror in the village, where few dare to publicly oppose it.