The Afghan government no longer publishes data for losses within its army, which are significant, but President Ashraf Ghani in said more than 45, members of the country's security forces have been killed since , when he became leader.
But according to a study by Brown University, the cost of America's wars exceeds the Pentagon's estimate, as State Department aid is not taken into account, nor are any intelligence operations or the medical costs of wounded veterans. Before being deposed in , the Taliban banned girls from studying and stoned to death women accused of crimes such as adultery. Afghanistan's Ministry of Education said there are now around 9. There are currently 18, active schools across the country, up from 3, two decades ago.
There are 68 women lawmakers in the Afghan parliament, about 30 percent of the lower house. All the trends are pointing in the wrong directions at the moment. Violence has been increasing, particularly since May, whilst peace talks between the government and Taliban remain largely stalled. What happens after the end of August, when international forces formally depart, is a question everyone is asking.
Having already taken over a large number of rural areas, the Taliban are increasingly turning their focus to cities. They've insisted they don't want to launch a military takeover of the country, but many are sceptical of that. Whilst some are determined to resist, on social media smugglers offering routes out of Afghanistan are being flooded with requests.
One of the few tactics the Taliban have largely refrained from using since signing a deal with the US, is the kind of large-scale suicide bombings that have rocked Afghan cities in previous years. Even in the absence of fighting, unexploded ordnance from this war and landmines from previous wars continue to kill, injure, and maim civilians. Fields, roads, and school buildings are contaminated by ordnance, which often harms children as they go about chores like gathering wood. The war has also inflicted invisible wounds.
In , the Afghan Ministry of Public Health reported that fully two-thirds of Afghans suffer from mental health problems. The Taliban have seized back control of Afghanistan, almost two decades after they were thrown out of power by a US-led coalition.
Afghan citizens have seen changes to their lives since the Taliban were last in charge - in particular many girls and women have been able to attend school and university. The future they now face is uncertain. Emboldened by the withdrawal of US troops, and facing little resistance from Afghan forces, the Taliban have swept to power in just a few weeks.
Many are now trying to flee the country, rather than live under the Taliban's strict form of Sharia law. Twenty years of fighting have left thousands of fighters dead on both sides in Afghanistan and across the border in neighbouring Pakistan. Civilians have also been caught up in the conflict - dying in coalition air strikes and targeted attacks by the Taliban.
The number of civilian casualties in was already significantly higher than for the same period in , before the Taliban swept through the country. The United Nations attributed the recent increase in civilian deaths to the use of improvised explosive devices - IEDs - and targeted killings.
Years of conflict have forced millions to flee their homes, some taking refuge in neighbouring countries or seeking asylum further afield. Many have been left displaced and homeless within Afghanistan, alongside millions facing hardship and hunger. Last year, more than , people were displaced by conflict. Since , around five million people have fled and not been able to return home.
According to the UN's human rights agency, Afghanistan has the third largest displaced population in the world.
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