US abandons Afghanistan media landscape to Taliban, global competitors

Before it was largely taken off the air, Voice of America was reaching 59% of the adult population in Afghanistan. It was doing so mostly through its Afghan Service, which was broadcasting 117.8 hours of audio and video reports each week in the country’s main languages — Dari and Pashto. However, since President Donald Trump issued his March 14 executive order that effectively began dismantling the international broadcaster, VOA’s Afghan Service has lost almost all of its audience. Its programming has dwindled to about 2.5 hours of radio-only broadcasts per week.

The service debuted in 1980, broadcasting first in Dari and two years later adding programming in Pashto. For 45 years, the Afghan Service chronicled major changes in the country, including the Soviet Union’s occupation, years of civil war, two decades of U.S.-led military operations, the fall of the Taliban, and the eventual return of the militant group to power.

Its programming had increased steadily since the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the United States, after which the service began around-the-clock radio reports. It further expanded in 2022, when the Taliban sought to ban VOA radio and television. VOA responded by launching a 24/7 direct-to-home, satellite-delivered television channel for the country.

Before its operations were largely silenced in mid-March, the Afghan Service was one of the leading sources of daily news in the country, reaching 12.5 million adults each week, as well as informing a large Afghan diaspora around the world. Its web and social media sites were widely popular, with its Dari and Pashto Facebook pages amassing more than 12 million followers. The service used two technology tools — NthLink and Psiphon — to circumvent the Taliban’s efforts to block VOA’s digital media.

VOA’s history of truthful reporting in Afghanistan, including during the chaotic U.S. military withdrawal from the country, made VOA the most trusted news source in Afghanistan, according to USAGM research cited by VOA Director Michael Abramowitz in testimony he gave to Congress in 2024.

Under the Taliban in Afghanistan, local media cannot question authorities, but VOA held them accountable. In April 2023, the Taliban’s spokesperson, Zabiullah Mujahid, appeared on VOA’s Hayal television program, a bilingual weekly talk show that was one of the most popular shows in the country. Mujahid was there to discuss justice under the Taliban, however, he walked off the show when the show’s host asked pointed follow-up questions.

In the aftermath of the fall of Kabul in August 2021, the Afghan Service expanded its focus on Afghan women, who continue to face repressive measures under the Taliban. The service increased the number of women hosts and reporters, expanded coverage of women’s issues and dedicated radio shows to topics affecting women. Just before the service was largely silenced, it was about to launch an English learning program aimed at providing a learning opportunity for girls in Afghanistan, who have been denied access to education beyond the sixth grade. 

In addition to being a trusted source of news about Afghanistan, VOA’s Afghan Service also provided a uniquely American perspective. On U.S. Election Day 2024, the service aired 6.5 hours of programming — on television, radio and digital platforms — featuring live coverage from polling stations, the Trump and Harris headquarters, the White House and the Capitol. The service spoke with experts and analysts about a range of election-related issues, including U.S. foreign policy towards Afghanistan, the Afghan-American community and Afghan refugees living in the United States.

A critical part of the Afghan Service’s mission is to explain U.S. policies to its Dari- and Pashto-speaking audiences. To do that, it broadcast numerous interviews with U.S. Congress members in recent years, including Representatives Tim Burchett, Michael McCaul and Seth Moulton, as well as Senators Jeanne Shaheen and John Curtis.

In recent years, VOA’s reporting in Afghanistan has become more even important to its audience. After the Taliban returned to power in 2021, the group cracked down on independent media. Now, without robust broadcasting from VOA, its audience in Afghanistan has nowhere to turn to understand U.S. politics and the impact of U.S. foreign policy decisions on Afghanistan and the region.

In VOA’s near-absence in Afghanistan, China, Iran and Russia are filling the gap. China Radio International operates a Pashto service that broadcasts on shortwave radio as well as via local FM affiliates in Kabul and Kandahar, while an Afghan television station, Shamshad TV, is carrying content from China’s Global Television Network. The state-run media of Iran, Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), has developed regular radio programs for an Afghan audience, and its TV signals can be received in Afghanistan. Russian state-owned radio is also broadcasting to the Afghan audience in local languages.