The Day Kabul Fell: Five Years After The Taliban Takeover In Afghanistan

On August 15, 2021, as US troops were nearing the end of their military withdrawal from Afghanistan, Taliban militants took over the presidential palace in Kabul and reestablished control over the country. In interviews with RFE/RL, Afghan and US officials described the unexpected speed of the government's collapse and the militant takeover as Afghan civilians tried to flee Kabul in desperation.