Situation at a Glance

"Note that this article was first published in the New York Times and if you reproduce this article you must retain this notice.

Afghanistan has made remarkable progress since the fall of the Taliban government in 2001. Under the Taliban regime life was really hard in different aspects. We didn't have our personal freedom, media wasn't free and there wasn't such a thing as freedom of speech. Especially life was really hard for the women - they were banned from education and work outside their houses.

After the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington the United States of America decided to oust the Taliban regime because they refused to hand over Osama Bin Laden. When the U.S. Army started their attacks on the Taliban, the Afghan people were very hopeful for a better future, because they were very tired of the hardline regime. And once the Taliban regime was ousted, better days started coming for the Afghans and it's getting better every day. Schools opened for girls and boys, women started working outside their houses and started taking part in the political field. Our media have been incredibly promoted. Many foreign companies have invested and created job opportunities for thousands of Afghan citizens. So around 85% of the Afghan people support the United States of America for overthrowing the Taliban regime because they were tired of it and they wanted a change. Now life has been changed for most Afghans and they are enjoying their lives compared to the hardline regime. "
Afghan Warrior