The United States’ withdrawal from Afghanistan and the subsequent fall of Kabul have reshaped the country’s history. Marcus Yam, a foreign correspondent, and staff photographer, was on the ground to document the desperation of those seeking escape and the plight of others facing the Taliban’s wrath. His impactful work recently earned him the Pulitzer Prize for breaking news photography. The judges highlighted how these “raw and urgent” images reflect the human cost of this historic change.
August 23, 2021: Airlifts were a frequent occurrence as Kabul fell to the Taliban. Here, Afghans look up forlornly at a military transport plane departing overhead.August 17, 2021: A traumatized child cries as behind him a man covered in blood carries an injured child. Some Afghans were wounded by Taliban fighters pushing them back from the airport using gunfire, whips and sticks.August 31, 2021: Taliban fighters march into Kabul’s international airport wearing American-made attire and carrying American weapons.September 8, 2021: Two journalists, Nemat Naqdi and Taqi Daryabi show the wounds caused by torture from Taliban fighters in Kabul. They were beaten while in custody — after being held for recording a rally for women’s rights.September 20, 2021: Human rights activist Laila Haidari sobs as she observes the destruction of a neighborhood close to her heart in Kabul. She was forced to shut down a cafe when the Taliban came into power, fearing their wrath.August 30, 2021: Attendees at a funeral look up and sob as the sound of engines roars over their cries in Kabul. They mourn a family burying ten of their own, seven of them children, after a U.S. airstrike left devastation in its wake.
