Portraits of Afghanistan Before the Fall

Twenty years since the 9/11 attacks and the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan, the Taliban have once again seized power of the country. In the months leading up to the fall of the nation’s capital, National Geographic photographer Kiana Hayeri and writer Jason Motlagh heard the stories of young Afghans struggling for a better future. 

In the time since this reporting, some of the people featured have died or have become unreachable.

For more information on this episode, visit nationalgeographic.com/overheard.

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Read Jason and Kiana’s full article about the people of Afghanistan, just a few months before the Taliban takeover.

After her evacuation from Kabul, Kiana sat down with us for an extended interview.

Learn more about the life of Sharbat Gula, the famed “Afghan girl,” whose portrait became National Geographic’s most famous cover photo ever. 

In Afghanistan, girls are sometimes dressed as boys to avoid the stigma and restrictions of being a girl. But for many of these bacha posh, going back to life as a female is difficult.

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