A chess board in front of the Taliban flag. | Illustration: Eddie Marshall | Aerra Carnicom | Scifisnake | Dreamstime.com

The Taliban Banned Chess

Since retaking power, the Taliban has banned certain music, barred women from parks, and now outlawed chess. Authoritarians don’t just crush dissent—they criminalize joy.

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8188050 | Joel Connell

Saving Nezam From the Taliban

Green Beret Scott Mann suffered severe trauma following his three tours in Afghanistan. He never wanted to have anything to do with country again. Then his friend Nezam called to say that his life was in danger.

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