PBS NewsHour examines lives of Afghan allies five years after U.S. departure and Taliban takeover

PBS NewsHour is launching a reporting series marking Afghanistan’s long arc since the Sept. 11 attacks and the start of the American war there, with its first installment focusing on the period that followed the U.S. departure. The Aug. 20, 2026 report centers on the experiences of three people and their families, describing what daily life has been like under Taliban rule and how they are faring five years after the Taliban took control from the U.S.-supported government.

The program is part of a broader effort described as timed to 25 years since Sept. 11, when the United States began a war in Afghanistan. In that context, the report uses the five-year mark after the U.S. left as a lens for examining the on-the-ground consequences for Afghans who had ties to, or support from, the previous Western-backed order.

Special Correspondent Leila Molana-Allen and videographer Eric O’Connor report that the series’ opening story looks closely at the choices, risks, and uncertainties faced by Afghan allies after the shift in control. The report is structured around personal accounts, with the emphasis on family impact and the practical realities of living through a transition that, according to the program description, was marked by the Taliban’s seizure of government authority.

While the Taliban’s takeover is described in the report as taking power from a U.S.-supported government, the story’s focus is on what that political change has meant for the lives of individuals. The report outlines how the passage of time since the U.S. exit has shaped those accounts, including how the families have adjusted and what continuing constraints they describe in their day-to-day lives.

PBS NewsHour frames the first installment as the beginning of a series, suggesting that subsequent episodes will further document how different Afghans experienced the post-U.S period. The program’s approach, based on its description, is to connect large historical timelines to specific human stories rather than to treat the Afghan transition as a purely institutional or diplomatic event.

The Aug. 20 story comes as the United States and international partners remain engaged in Afghanistan primarily through policy statements, humanitarian considerations, and security concerns. In that environment, the report’s focus on allies and families underscores the persistence of personal stakes after regime change, including the continuing effects on livelihoods and community stability that do not end when the U.S. military presence concludes.

As the series continues, the reporting is expected to build on the same timeline, using Afghan voices to track how life has evolved under Taliban rule since the U.S. withdrawal. The first episode establishes the timeframe and the cast of subjects, and it sets up the remainder of the program to expand on different paths taken by Afghans connected to the previous era.