People under the age of 25 make up more than 60% of the population of Afghanistan. What do young Afghans want for the future of their country?

First Person: What Young Afghans Want

Jess Yarmosky

Freelance Producer, On Point

Women gather to demand their rights under the Taliban rule during a protest in Kabul, Afghanistan, Friday, Sept. 3, 2021. (AP Photo/Wali Sabawoon)

People under the age of 25 make up more than 60% of the population of Afghanistan. 

Afghanistan's people are young. And most of those young people have grown up with expanded rights for women, a burgeoning media, new technology and opportunities previously unavailable when the Taliban ruled.

Now that the Taliban are back in power, what do young Afghans want for the future of their country? 

The Longest War

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podcast

On Point's four-part series profiling Afghans and Americans whose lives have been shaped by two decades of war in Afghanistan.

"First Person" is On Point's radio diary series. Pitch your own story about life during the pandemic at onpoint@wbur.org.  

First Person

Jack Beatty joins Meghna Chakrabarti to reflect on our series 'The Longest War' and America since 9/11.

Reflections On America Since 9/11 And Our Series 'The Longest War'

Meghna Chakrabarti

Host, On Point

Jack Beatty

News Analyst, On Point

The flags of Afghanistan and the United States are seen on the table before a meeting between the Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., on June 25, 2021. (Alex Brandon/AP)

The Afghanistan war is especially powerful for us at On Point. The program got its start 20 years ago, on September 17th, 2001. Jack Beatty, On Point's news analyst, has been with the show, every day, from the beginning.

He joins Meghna Chakrabarti to reflect on America's longest war.

Stories featured on On Point's Instagram.

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Part IV of our series looks at what the future holds for Afghanistan’s free press and, ultimately, its citizens. 

The Longest War: What The Future Holds For Afghanistan's Free Press

Annie Sinsabaugh

Afghan presenter Zarmina Mohammadi for TOLOnews takes part in a live broadcast at in Kabul in 2018. (WAKIL KOHSAR/AFP via Getty Images)

Over the last 20 years, journalists and entrepreneurs like Saad Mohseni have built a free and independent press in Afghanistan.

Mohseni recently told the Journo podcast that the Taliban can’t shut that all down.

"I don’t want to overstate this, but I think media has become the beacon of hope for the country," Mohseni said. 

Our series The Longest War concludes with a look at what the future holds for Afghanistan’s free press and, ultimately, its citizens.

The Longest War: Part IV

In 2001, Barbara Lee was the only member of congress to vote against the Afghanistan war resolution. We hear how 20 years changed her. Part III of our series.

The Longest War: Rep. Barbara Lee's 20-Year Fight Against War In Afghanistan

Jonathan Chang

Producer/Director, On Point

Rep. Walter Jones, R-N.C.; and Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif., listen to Army Lt. Col. Danny Davis spoke at a discussion in support of expedited withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan. (Chris Maddaloni/CQ Roll Call)

In 2001, Barbara Lee was the only member of congress to vote against the Afghanistan war resolution. How did the past 20 years change her and her country?  

Rep. Barbara Lee joins Meghna Chakrabarti in the third installment of our series 'The Longest War.' 

The Longest War: Part III

U.S. soldiers may have left Afghanistan, but the war has not left them. Part II in our series The Longest War.

The Longest War: Veterans Reflect On 20 Years Of Conflict In Afghanistan

Stefano Kotsonis

Senior Producer, On Point

In this Jan. 28, 2012 file photo, U.S. soldiers patrol west of Kabul, Afghanistan. As the U.S. ends the war in Afghanistan and as the Taliban recapture much of the country, Americans are asking if the longest war in their history was worth the cost. (Hoshang Hashimi/AP file photo)

U.S. soldiers may have left Afghanistan, but the war has not left them. In the second installment of our series 'The Longest War,' veterans share their stories. Bajun Mavalwalla, Baji Mavalwalla and Laura Jedeed join Meghna Chakrabarti.

The Longest War: Part II

News

Politics

Former Afghan soccer player Fanoos Basir is living in a refugee camp. Yet she hasn't given up hope for the nation whose jersey she wore on the world stage.  

First Person: Former Afghan Soccer Player On Life As A Refugee, Her Country's Future

Dorey Scheimer

Senior Editor, On Point

25-year-old Fanoos Basir. She’s a civil engineer and former member of the Afghan women’s national soccer team. (Courtesy)

This week, we’re seeking to better understand the impact of 20 years of war in Afghanistan. In our series The Longest War, you’ll hear from Afghan women, U.S. veterans and others about how choices made in Washington and Kabul shaped their lives.

25-year-old Fanoos Basir is a civil engineer and former member of the Afghan women’s national soccer team. Currently, she's living in a refugee camp in France.

In this podcast exclusive, she shares the sights, sounds and experiences of life in a refugee camp. 

Shabana Basij-Rasikh is the founder of the first and only boarding school for girls in Afghanistan. We hear her story in Part I of our series The Longest War. 

The Longest War: What's At Stake For Women In Afghanistan

KABUL, AFGHANISTAN -- AUGUST 25, 2021: Women and children are made to crouch and wait outside the Taliban controlled check point near the Abbey Gate, before making their way towards the British military controlled entrance of the airport, in Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2021. (MARCUS YAM / LOS ANGELES TIMES)

A WEEK INTO TALIBAN RULE IN KABUL

Shabana Basij-Rasikh is the founder of the first and only boarding school for girls in Afghanistan. 

In the first episode of our series 'The Longest War,' we hear her story, and the future of Afghan women. Shabana Basij-Rasikh and Fanoos Basir join Meghna Chakrabarti.