It has been more than a year since horrifying images of the botched US withdrawal from Afghanistan emerged. The story of Kabul and the Afghan people has taken a backseat with waning interest in the West exacerbated by the war in Ukraine, the rise of China, and an amalgamation of other global geopolitical flashpoints.
The Taliban continues its attempts to solidify a ‘new’ political system under its interim government to cement its future grasp on power over the country. There are three main aims of the Taliban’s strategy: the control of narratives, the creation of perception, and a strong media strategy. The Taliban’s media strategy is divided into two core components: first, the narrative directed at the West and the international community. Second, the narrative sold to domestic audiences. In mainstream media outside of Afghanistan, we are only exposed to the former. The latter – the narrative and media strategy directed at Afghans – is largely missing from the international discourse.
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