Afghanistan: Inside a surreal trip from Pakistani border to Taliban-controlled Kabul

The porch also serves as an office and bedroom, which is handy as since he became the Taliban’s point of contact to sort out issues and allow visiting journalists to the Pakistan border, Supranullah – who as of many rural Afghans, only use one name – has been criticized. He has a three-mile stash of heavily loaded trucks waiting to leave Afghanistan at the Torkham border post.

In the 1990s, when I covered the Taliban war to take the whole country, I marveled at the amount of old Soviet military equipment left behind when they retired in 1989. It was the most déjà vu. strange to see the Taliban’s white flags now fluttering over sagging sandbags and tired-looking Hesco barriers that not so long ago lined the perimeter of the Afghan American Empire.

We passed crumbling outposts, the sprawling Jalalabad airstrip, and several former US bases. I had flown Black Hawk helicopter missions in and out of some of these bases on bases with American forces, I had even seen an Afghan American drone take off in Jalalabad. Now that I examine the abandoned huts and communication towers, it was as if I had stepped back in time to the Al Qaeda attacks of September 11, 2001, which sparked America’s decades-long war. here.

Fighting with the Americans is still fresh in the minds of many in the Taliban, but even in victory, some like Commander Supranullah and his men seemed ready to re-engage, albeit with an underlying mistrust.

The road to Kabul

You can smell the billions of US dollars spent here on the roads themselves. Compared to before the arrival of US forces in late 2001, the 230-kilometer (140-mile) journey from the border to Kabul should have been a snap – smooth tarmac the whole way. Without obstacles, the journey could have taken five hours.

These roads were very busy as we made our way to Kabul, huge trucks climbing dizzying mountain passes, young men behind the wheel slipping dangerously through crowded lanes, minivans and taxis crowded with young families on board. , taking their time carefully. None of them rushed to the border.

Compared to yesterday, it is a country still animated by a chaotic charm despite the economic uncertainty it faces. We walked through bazaars hearing vendors trying to yell at each other, peddling freshly grilled corn, fried fish, candy, grapes, pomegranates, and delicious long hot flatbreads from open-air ovens.

What was missing in the hubbub were women. The Taliban warned them to stay indoors, and many seem to have listened to them. It was only in truly rural places that women were visible – and even then only a few were clustered.

A group of half a dozen women in brightly colored shawls dangled bales of yellowing cornstalks over their heads as they walked along the road. Another small group of women were wrapped in abayas, black dresses hiding their bodies, only venturing with each other for protection.

Without having the opportunity to stop and speak with them, in our effort to get to Kabul before dark, it is difficult to know what they think of the Taliban regime. Just as imponderable is how regime change is changing lives in remote and culturally conservative communities. But what is certain is that the gains in rights and freedoms that have come from the government backed by the West have disappeared for the time being.

The Taliban’s grip on security is tight. While walking through a busy market in a small town, we were forcibly stopped by an armed man who came out of the crowd. He demanded to know who were, what we were doing and where we were going. We explained to him, as we had done with Commander Supranullah, that we had the Taliban’s permission to travel, and showed him the documents that would be given to us.

It was not enough. Within minutes we were whisked away, he said for further questioning. As they chased us out of town at high speed, it seemed less clear who they were and where we were being taken. The issue was resolved fairly quickly with calls to Taliban HQ in Kabul. But what is clear is that weeks after the militants took power, the security situation under the Taliban is still very fluid.

Our few minutes of wondering what would happen next were negligible compared to the fear many Afghans experience on a daily basis. Just because we couldn’t see it on our drive doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen.