THE LAST DAYS OF KABUL

In August 2021, the Taliban took control of Afghanistan for a second time. A trillion-dollar, multinational effort to stabilize and transform the country collapsed in a few days as international troops withdrew.

Twenty years earlier, in the wake of the 9/11 attacks, the arrival of a U.S.-led coalition and the removal of the Taliban regime promised a new era for Afghanistan: democracy, peace and human rights.

The three-part series “The Last Days of Kabul” returns to that moment to ask: what went wrong?

At its core is extraordinary access to Afghan citizens and key decision makers, including former Afghan President Ashraf Ghani. After seven years in power, his hasty departure marked the fall of Kabul. Around him are Afghans who lost their country: ordinary citizens, journalists, women’s rights activists, former ministers and intelligence chiefs, as well as Vice President Abdul Rashid Dostum. For the first time, a founding member of the Taliban retraces the movement’s origins and path to comeback. Also featured are U.S. and NATO commanders, CIA officials and diplomats who shaped the war, including Douglas Lute and Zalmay Khalilzad, who negotiated the Doha Agreement between the U.S. and the Taliban.

Through personal stories and extraordinary archives, the series reconstructs twenty years of conflict – exposing broken promises, corruption, political and military shortcomings that led to a global failure. Filmed across five countries and three continents, “The Last Days of Kabul” shows why Afghanistan must not be forgotten. Its legacy continues to resonate in today’s conflicts.

Photo: Farahnaz Forotan Field Mission ©Farahnaz Forotan_Pressefoto