Washington Examiner, 15 September 2024
This article quotes from earlier AAN research, reflecting Taleban fighters’ views on their their adjustment to life after the Taleban’s victory:
In February 2023, Taliban bureaucrats lamented their new positions in the government in a series of exclusive interviews with the Afghanistan Analysts Network. They complained about the switch to an 8-hour work day, traffic, and internet addiction. Their confusing new lives after the war led all of the interviewees to lament how much they missed the “days of the jihad.”
“Another thing I don’t like, not only about Kabul but broadly about life after the [war], are the new restrictions. In the group, we had a great degree of freedom about where to go, where to stay, and whether to participate in the war,” a former Taliban commander said. “However, these days, you have to go to the office before 8 AM and stay there till 4 PM. If you don’t go, you’re considered absent, and [the wage for] that day is cut from your salary. We’re now used to that, but it was especially difficult in the first two or three months.”
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This article was last updated on 27 Sep 2024
