Divorce, smartphones and control – BBC sees how Taliban run Afghanistan
The BBC gained rare access to senior Taliban figures in Afghanistan, including a provincial governor, revealing how the movement governs five years after retaking power in 2021. Footage shows an 18-year-old woman calmly pleading for a divorce from an allegedly abusive husband before Governor Abdullah Sarhadi, who dismisses women as "mindless" to laughter from male officials present, illustrating the entrenched restrictions and attitudes shaping daily life under Taliban rule.
Sarhadi, a former Taliban commander once detained at Guantanamo Bay, is now a governor who also gives out charitable funds locally. Under Sharia as applied by the Taliban, the woman, referred to as Tuba, faces huge obstacles to divorce without her husband's consent, with her family later saying they will pursue the case through the courts despite the difficulty. The BBC's broader reporting, spanning two years of access to Taliban officials, highlights how women remain barred from most workplaces, universities and secondary education, and cannot travel alone or visit parks, even as Taliban officials attempt to present a more moderate public image.
- BBC gets rare access to Taliban officials governing Afghanistan.
- Footage shows governor calling women "mindless" during divorce dispute.
- Women still barred from work, education and unaccompanied travel.
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Afghanistan has been ruled by the Taliban since August 2021, when the group swept back to power as foreign troops withdrew and the previous Western-backed government collapsed. Since then, the Taliban have imposed their own strict interpretation of Islamic law, or Sharia, across the country. Getting a clear picture of everyday life under this government has been difficult, because the Taliban tightly control access for foreign journalists.
The BBC has spent two years building relationships with senior Taliban officials to report from inside the system, including provincial governors who combine local administrative power with religious authority. This access offers rare insight into how decisions affecting ordinary Afghans, especially women, are actually made, from resolving family disputes to distributing aid. Since 2021, women in Afghanistan have faced sweeping restrictions, including bans on secondary and university education, most employment, and unaccompanied travel.
The story matters because it goes beyond official statements to show the day-to-day reality of Taliban governance, at a time when the movement has sought greater international recognition and presented itself as more moderate. Understanding how local officials wield authority, and how ordinary citizens, particularly women, navigate the system, helps explain both the human impact of Taliban rule and the gap between its public image and lived experience.