I woke up to the Taliban walking in my city

The past few days in Kabul have been filled with fear and uncertainty.

I first heard the news from my sister. Her face was pale and worried, as she came running into my room to announce that the Taliban had entered Kabul. After fighting for 20 years to retake the Afghan capital, the Taliban took over the city in a matter of hours on August 15. That afternoon, I decided to take a walk outside to see the reaction of my fellow Kabul residents, but found the streets almost empty. Stores and markets had closed. I hardly saw any women, who would normally be out at this time of day doing shopping or going about their daily lives. The sight of the deserted streets was depressing.