August 2024 marked three years since the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan following the withdrawal of U.S. and coalition forces. Taliban officials have used the anniversary to emphasize the restoration of national security and the formal end of decades of active warfare. They argue that their governance has brought a level of stability to the country that was previously absent.

Conversely, international human rights organizations and the United Nations have characterized the period as a deepening crisis for civil liberties. The primary point of contention remains the Taliban’s restrictive policies toward women and girls. Under current decrees, girls over the age of 12 are prohibited from attending school, and women are largely barred from universities and many areas of public life. While the Taliban frames these policies as internal matters consistent with their interpretation of Islamic law, the international community largely views these actions as a systematic dismantling of human rights.

There is a notable divide in how the anniversary is perceived. The Taliban government views the transition as a successful reclamation of sovereignty and a victory for national order. In contrast, global bodies and rights groups focus on the humanitarian and social costs, specifically the erasure of women from the public sphere. As the Taliban enters its fourth year of rule, the country remains largely isolated from the international community, which continues to withhold formal recognition of the government, citing the ongoing rights crisis as a primary barrier to diplomatic relations.