Five challenges for the Taliban in AfghanistanThe Taliban have won the war -- now they have to govern Afghanistan.
The transition presents an enormous test for the Islamists in a desperately poor, diplomatically isolated country where deep-seated political and social problems have been compounded by more than four decades of war.
Here are five challenges facing the Taliban:
Lack of trust
There is widespread suspicion about the Taliban among Afghans, and for good reason.
While there has been relief in some parts of rural Afghanistan where people wanted an end to the violence, many Afghans say that actions, not words, matter.
Women, particularly in cities, remain fearful of stepping outside, and there is at least one pocket of armed resistance in the Panjshir valley, a traditional anti-Taliban bastion.
Economic, humanitarian catastrophe
Afghanistan is one of the poorest nations in the world. After the Taliban were toppled in 2001, huge amounts of foreign aid flowed into the country. International assistance was more than 40 percent of GDP in 2020.
The Taliban have gained some sources of income after taking over Afghanistan, such as customs revenue from border crossings, but that too is a fraction of national needs.
Brain drain
Beyond the cash crunch, the Taliban face another critical shortage: skilled Afghans.
As US-led forces began to withdraw and the previous government started to lose control, Afghans with skills, experience and resources headed for the exits.
Their spokesman has urged skilled Afghans not to leave, saying the country needed "experts" such as doctors and engineers.
Diplomatic isolation
The Taliban's first regime was largely a pariah on the global stage.
This time, they appear keen on wide international recognition, even as most nations have suspended or closed their diplomatic missions in Kabul.
The group has contacts with regional powers such as Pakistan, Iran, Russia and China, as well as Qatar -- which hosted the Taliban's political office for years.
But none have recognised them yet, and the United States has said any legitimacy "will have to be earned".
In an apparent sign of the divide on how to handle the Taliban, China and Russia abstained from a UN Security Council resolution requiring the group to let Afghans leave.
Moscow and Beijing did not use their veto after language related to the Taliban was softened, experts said.
ISIS terror threat
The Taliban may have taken control of Afghanistan but the threat of terror attacks in the country has not ended with their insurgency.
Their jihadist rival, the regional chapter of the ISIS group, has already carried out a deadly suicide attack in Kabul, killing more than 100 people at the airport during the evacuation operation.
The Taliban and ISIS are both hardline Sunni extremists, but the latter has an even harsher and brutal interpretation of Islamic law. ISIS has said it will continue to fight in Afghanistan, and its statements have described the Taliban as apostates.
The Taliban now face a sharp role reversal: they have to defend the Afghan people from the kind of attacks their own fighters carried out for years.