The generation born after 9/11 has created the outlines of a country that is visibly, materially and philosophically different from the Afghanistan the U.S. invaded in 2001. © Reuters

No exit: A generation of young Afghans faces the end of the US era

Chaos beckons as government forces collapse before Taliban onslaught

ANDREW NORTH, Contributing writer

July 14, 2021 06:00 JST

TBILISI/KABUL -- "I can't get off social media these days," says 29-year-old Sharifi.

The signal may be in and out. Keeping digital devices charged is a challenge amid constant power outages. But millions of Afghans, especially the urban young, are like so many other people in the world of 2021: addicted to their screens.