More than five years after the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan and the withdrawal of international forces, the country faces severe economic and humanitarian challenges despite a reduction in active conflict. In Helmand province’s Sangin district—once a focal point of intense fighting involving British forces—residents are struggling with high levels of child malnutrition, disease outbreaks, and widespread poverty.
Malnourishment rates among children under five in Sangin have soared to 69 percent, a drastic increase from 21 percent just four years ago. Clinics in the region, such as the Comprehensive Health Centre in Sangin, report treating hundreds of malnourished children daily alongside a surge in communicable diseases including tuberculosis, respiratory infections, and measles.
Dr. Saber Feroz, director of the clinic, described the paradox of the current situation: “During the war, despite ongoing violence, there was considerable investment and economic activity. Now, in peace, people face hunger and illness.” He explained that funding cuts have forced the clinic to reduce its staff by a third and ration medical supplies. The dramatic reduction in international aid—particularly from the United States, which halted all humanitarian assistance in 2025 following the dissolution of USAid under the previous administration—has heavily impacted healthcare availability.
The Taliban’s return has also reshaped Afghanistan’s socioeconomic landscape. Many women are banned from working, and girls are largely denied education beyond primary school. Meanwhile, climate change, natural disasters, and the return of almost six million refugees from neighboring countries have compounded economic pressures. The United Nations estimates that nearly 22 million Afghans currently require humanitarian aid, with approximately 17.4 million facing acute food insecurity and nearly 5 million needing emergency treatment for malnutrition.
Sangin bears physical and symbolic scars from over two decades of conflict. British troops lost more than 100 soldiers and wounded many others during operations between 2006 and 2010. However, signs of that presence have largely disappeared, leaving behind remnants like sections of a Bailey bridge near the Helmand River, where local boys swim to escape intense summer heat.
Taliban veterans in Sangin reflect on their past engagements with British and US forces, sometimes expressing nostalgia for the days of combat. Haji Matin Haji Lala, the district’s Taliban governor and a former fighter, recounted his years of conflict and imprisonment by US forces before returning to Taliban leadership. “Even now, if our leader ordered us to fight in Pakistan, I would pick up my weapons and go,” he said. Another commander, Haji Yasin Agha, spoke of fighting with “glee” despite heavy losses among his men, viewing martyrdom as a privilege.
Not all memories of the conflict evoke pride. Some locals recall night raids and operations resulting in civilian casualties, which continue to be investigated. One such raid by the British SAS in 2011, which killed eight men including civilians, remains under review by an Afghan inquiry examining possible unlawful killings. Families of victims like Asadullah, who was reportedly detained and shot at close range, continue to demand accountability, challenging official accounts that describe hostile resistance during these operations.
As Afghanistan navigates this fragile peace, its people confront a complex legacy of violence and hope shadowed by severe poverty and restricted freedoms. Despite the cessation of active war, the toll of decades-long conflict endures in the form of humanitarian crisis and unhealed societal wounds.