In September 1996, the Taliban seizes control of Kabul and institutes an extreme interpretation of Islamic law. At the time, MSF is operating in 11 provinces across the country, working in internally displaced persons camps and camps for Turkmen refugees, training local staff, and supplying hospitals.

MSF volunteers increasingly treat landmine victims and provide information from the frontlines to an international advocacy movement aimed at banning these weapons. The organization clashes with the Taliban throughout this period over edicts restricting women’s access to medical care.

Against a backdrop of ongoing conflict, Afghans endure food shortages, drought, and epidemic outbreaks of cholera and scurvy. MSF teams respond continually to emergencies and assist people in as many as 15 provinces and in refugee camps in Pakistan. Conditions worsen as the Taliban and Northern Alliance fight ferocious battles in the north, displacing more Afghans.