It’s worth remembering that quite a few western “progressives” cheered the return of the Taliban because it was a defeat for Western policies, and nothing could be worse in their eyes than Western policies:
Fereshta AbbasiTaliban have entrenched one of the worst human rights crises and systematically dismantled the rights of women and girls since taking power five years ago. Afghanistan is also facing a humanitarian crisis with 40% of the population in need of assistance. www.hrw.org/news/2026/08...