Afghanistan: life no better than under Taliban?

US president Barack Obama said Afghanistan is taking more responsibility for its own security. Despite this, many residents continue to complain of the deteriorating security situation and label the police as corrupt.

Obama has spoken of how Afghanistan is ready to move into a new phase of development after its upcoming elections.

However, stories have emerged of brutality committed against locals, with some saying that things are as bad as they were under the Taliban.

Are things in Afghanistan no better than they were under the Taliban?

They aren’t, believes Brandon Friedman from the campaign group VoteVets.org.

“Under the Taliban, the military staff was government-sanctioned and also had Al-Qaeda-run camps operating freely and openly,” he said.

“It’s not as bad as that anymore. There’s also not as much Taliban influence in certain parts of the country, in the North and in the West, as it had been prior to 9/11”.