On February 29, 2020, the United States signed a peace deal with the Taliban to end America’s longest war. The historic agreement was intended to create a pathway towards peace in Afghanistan, but one year later, violence in the country has reached an all-time high. 

Under the 2020 peace deal, the U.S. agreed to withdraw all troops by May 2021 if the Taliban upholds its commitment to reduce violence against Afghan forces, cut ties with terror groups like al Qaeda, and begin negotiating with the Afghan government on a power sharing arrangement. So far, negotiations with the Afghan government are at a stalemate, and some fear the U.S. withdrawal only empowers the Taliban to take power back by force. 

VICE News’ Hind Hassan travels deep inside Taliban-controlled Afghanistan to speak with civilians and fighters and see what the future of Afghanistan could look like now that American troops are leaving after more than 19 years of war.