Stay on-air or go dark: Afghan media face uncertain future under Taliban regime

Following the Taliban’s takeover of the nation, Afghanistan’s independent media now face a tough and uncertain future.

As the Taliban swept into Kabul on the evening of August 15 after the government collapsed, executives at Afghanistan's biggest independent TV network, TOLO, had a tough decision to make: stay on-air or go dark. This is surreal. Taliban militants are posing behind this visibly petrified TV host with guns and making him to say that people of #Afghanistan shouldn’t be scared of the Islamic Emirate. Taliban itself is synonymous with fear in the minds of millions. This is just another proof. pic.twitter.com/3lIAdhWC4Q Tolo kept broadcasting, but like the rest of the country's TV and radio stations, the network now faces a tough and uncertain future under the Taliban government, whose return has sent fear coursing through the media.