Five months into the new Taliban regime, many Afghans say they're relieved the war is over. A trip along the country's main highway reveals a country in transition.
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In the capital Kabul, the normal pace of life has largely returned after the Taliban takeover in August unleashed chaos as tens of thousands of people frantically tried to flee the country, fearing reprisals by the Islamist movement. The beginning of Highway One, also known as Afghanistan’s Ring Road, the country’s main traffic artery, as it leads south out of Kabul towards Kandahar.Away from the cities, Taliban checkpoints like this in Wardak west of Kabul in December, have become increasingly rare, as most militants have moved to the cities to bolster security.
A shopkeeper recently sold groceries from a shipping container outside the Citadel of Ghazni, on the main highway from Kabul to Kandahar. Food prices have soared since the Taliban took power, and the national currency has dropped against the U.S. dollar. The U.S. and other nations responded to the Taliban takeover by freezing Afghanistan’s foreign currency reserves and slapping harsh sanctions on the new Afghan regime. The isolation has deepened Afghanistan’s economic crisis and helped cause a humanitarian catastrophe.
In Musa Qala in Helmand province, which saw some of the fiercest battles of the war, Abdul Hai was making bricks to help rebuild homes and shops. Many Afghans are returning to their home provinces after years of living in other parts of the country due to the war.In Gereshk, the economic hub of Helmand province, traders gathered for the weekly market, selling food items and livestock.
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