Archive · 16 Aug 2026
Five Years Under Taliban Rule, Afghan Families Struggle To Survive
In Afghanistan, many families are having a very hard time right now.
A group called the Taliban has been in charge of the country for five years.
Since then, it has become very hard for people to find work.
Sima is a woman about 60 years old who helps take care of her big family in Kabul.
She walks through streets and cemeteries collecting things that others throw away.
She sells scrap and plastic she finds, and saves some items to burn for cooking and heat.
Sima also begs for money, even though begging is against Taliban rules.
The police let Sima beg as a special exception during celebration days.
Her daughter Diba was held for three months, and her baby died two days after Diba returned home.
Sima and her family live day to day, using and saving almost everything they find.
Five years after the Taliban returned to power in August 2021, work in Afghanistan remains scarce.
Sima, about 60, supports her extended family in Kabul by begging and collecting bread, scrap and recyclable waste.
Her daughter Diba was detained while begging and held for three months; her breastfeeding baby died two days after Diba's release.
The family burns discarded plastic, clothing and fabric as cooking fuel when they cannot afford gas.
Begging is prohibited, but Taliban police allowed Sima to beg and gave her change as an exception during five-year-rule celebrations.
- Who
- Sima, a woman about 60 years old, and her extended family in Kabul, including her daughter Diba.
- What
- The family struggles to survive through begging and collecting scrap and recyclable waste five years after the Taliban returned to power.
- When
- Around August 2026, marking five years since the Taliban took power in August 2021; reporting photos date from December 2024 and August 2026.
- Where
- Kabul, Afghanistan.
- Why
- Work is scarce under Taliban rule, forcing the family to depend on begging, salvaging discarded materials and preserving food.
- Location
- Kabul, Afghanistan
- Context
- Five years of Taliban rule since August 2021; work is scarce
- Subject
- Sima, an Afghan woman about 60 years old
- Daughter's detention
- Diba held for three months after being detained while begging
- Infant death
- Diba's baby died two days after her release
- Cooking fuel
- Discarded plastic, clothing and fabric burned when gas is unaffordable
- Begging
- Prohibited, but Taliban police allowed Sima as an exception during five-year-rule celebrations
- Photo credit
- AP Photo/Nava Jamshidi