Life Returning To A New Normal As Taliban Consolidate Power In Afghanistan

Life was returning to a new normal in Kabul as cautious residents ventured out of their homes to see what life would be like under the Taliban following their astonishing return to power at the weekend.

Gone are Western clothes favoured by the fashion-conscious in the Afghan capital, with men on the streets now wearing traditional shalwar kameez. And there are hardly any women to be seen. "The fear is there," said a shopkeeper Tuesday, asking not to be named after he opened his neighbourhood provisions store. Life was returning to a new normal in Kabul as cautious residents ventured out of their homes to see what life would be like under the Taliban following their astonishing return to power at the weekend.