From the New York Times, I'm Natalie Ketroa. This is the Daily.

One year ago this week, when the Taliban retook control of Afghanistan, it promised to

institute a moderate form of Islamic government that honored women's rights. But that promise

evaporated with its decision to prohibit young women from going to school.

Today, my colleague Matthew Eakins on what led to that decision and what it reveals about

which part of the Taliban is really running Afghanistan.

It's Tuesday, August 16th.

Matt, you were in Afghanistan a year ago as the Taliban took over. Remind us what our

expectations were at the time for how things might play out.

Well, I can remember last summer as the previous Afghan government's forces started to collapse

around the country as US troops withdrew. There was this mounting sense of panic in Kabul.

The Taliban were going to come in. They were going to arrest and kill people who had worked

with the foreigners. There would be a return to the 90s where they were whipping women

and men without beards in the streets. There would just be this blood bath, this brutal

repression. At the same time, the Taliban were promising that they would not kill people

if they surrendered. That was a big factor behind their success. That's why they were able

to take so much territory so quickly. That was one of the reasons why me and my housemate

decided to stay in report on the fall of Kabul.

I remember you came on the show and you had interviewed the spokesman for the Taliban

right after the takeover. It sounded like he was trying to reassure you and maybe the

world that all of those fears wouldn't actually come to pass.

That's right. I sat down with Zabiyol Ahmadjahid and he was trying to show a new face of

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