What conditions did Kabul residents face under the Taliban administration from 1996 to 2001?

Under the Taliban administration from 1996 to 2001, residents of Kabul faced a period of extreme social restriction and economic hardship. Having occupied a city already left in ruins by years of factional mujahideen warfare, the Taliban possessed limited resources to repair public infrastructure, leaving most of the city's 1.7 million inhabitants to live in abject conditions.1

Key aspects of life under this regime included:

• Social and Religious Restrictions: The Taliban enforced a strict Islamic code that banned television and most forms of entertainment. Men were required to grow beards, and those who failed to do so were subject to fines or imprisonment.2
• Status of Women: Women faced radical changes, including the near-total exclusion from public life. Authorities closed girls' schools, forced women out of nearly all employment, and mandated that they be fully covered in public.23
• Education: Opportunities for schooling declined significantly, with instruction largely restricted to Qur'anic studies.4
• Law and Order: While the Taliban’s control brought a degree of improved personal safety and secure roads compared to the preceding civil war, they implemented harsh criminal punishments and maintained a repressive environment, keeping close watch for any signs of perceived irreligion.5