What Beijing has offered the Taliban so far is an open hand and a hint of legitimacy. Taliban leaders have pledged to leave Chinese interests alone and not to harbor anti-China extremist groups.

The German military says one Afghan security officer was killed and another three wounded Monday in an early morning firefight.

In a scene repeated across Afghanistan, retreating government forces ditched billions of dollars' worth of U.S.-supplied military hardware, from assault rifles to Black Hawk helicopters.

Host Scott Simon shares the reaction of Zalmai Yawar, an Afghan who first served as a translator for NPR 20 years ago, to the country's return to Taliban control. Yawar now lives in the U.S.

The U.S. military spent years training Afghan soldiers to fight insurgents. Yet in a matter of days, the Afghan National Army collapsed, and the Taliban captured the country. What went wrong?

Filipe Ribeiro of Doctors Without Borders Afghanistan talks to NPR about the future of the country's health care system under Taliban rule.

Afghans have lived through Soviet and U.S. invasions, civil war, insurgency and a previous period of heavy-handed Taliban rule. Here are some key events and dates from the past four decades.

She practiced medicine in Mazar-e-Sharif. She wanted to serve her country. Her story offers a window into what the Taliban takeover may hold for Afghanistan's women.

As the Taliban take over Afghanistan, women bureaucrats are risking their lives and freedom to not only save their country and people — but to maintain the rights of women and girls.

Two men — a reclusive 60-year-old mullah who is the Taliban's top commander and a high-profile, battle-hardened lieutenant — are the odds-on picks to form the new regime.

Suhail Shaheen, the Taliban spokesman in Qatar, tells NPR's Steve Inskeep about the group's plans for the country, which he says include allowing people to leave and no reprisals against enemies.

Zainab filled all the forms for a special immigrant visa but now can only watch as the Americans leave Afghanistan. Eight thousand miles away, all her husband can do is hope.

President Biden gave the order last week to send U.S. troops into Afghanistan as it became clear the Taliban were overrunning Afghan government forces on their way to taking the capital of Kabul.

The Pentagon has set a goal of evacuating 9,000 people a day from the country. Those coming to the U.S. need assistance, as do those remaining in Afghanistan.

Mahbooba Seraj, founder of the Afghan Women's Network, has a message for Americans watching what's happening in Afghanistan.