The Daily's Producers: Rochelle Bonja

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Rochelle Bonja: This is a very difficult story, but it felt like really important work. She says to understand how power works in the Taliban today, you have to look at their government in the 90s. In that time, there was a second more powerful shadow government 300 miles away from Kabul. That's where Mullah Muhammad Omar lived and presided over a leadership council which operated on consensus.

One year ago this week, when the Taliban retook control of Afghanistan, they promised to institute a modern form of Islamic government that honored women’s rights.

That promise evaporated with a sudden decision to prohibit girls from going to high school, prompting questions about which part of the Taliban is really running the country.

Guest: Matthieu Aikins, a writer based in Afghanistan for The New York Times and the author of “The Naked Don’t Fear the Water: An Underground Journey with Afghan Refugees.”

Background reading:

After barring girls from high school — and harboring a leader of Al Qaeda — the Taliban risks jeopardizing the billions of dollars of global aid that keeps Afghans alive.

For more information on today’s episode, visit

nytimes.com/thedaily

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