Taliban marks two years since return to power in Afghanistan

Taliban authorities have called for sanctions to be removed and billions in frozen funds to be released to alleviate Afghans’ sufferings, but the international community is only willing to take such steps once the government takes certain actions, such as lifting restrictions on girls and women. Yet despite initial promises of a more moderate rule than their previous stint in power in the 1990s, the Taliban have imposed increasing restrictions on the rights of women and girls, including stopping girls from receiving education beyond the sixth grade and banning women from public spaces.