What the Taliban achieved and failed to achieve in five years

Five years ago, the Taliban entered Kabul triumphant, almost 20 years after the collapse of its first government, triggered by the invasion of Afghanistan led by the United States. As US and other troops scrambled to leave, chaos and a bombing attack took the lives of nearly 200 Afghans.

Today, Kabul is no longer a chaotic city dotted with reinforced walls to protect from bombings or roamed by a...