![A woman sits amid flood ruins in the Borka village, Baghlan, on May 13, 2024. Afghanistan is the least prepared Asian country for natural disasters, according to the United Nations. [Muhammad Yasin/Middle East Images via AFP]](/cnmi_st/images/2025/08/16/51553-afghanistan-flood-house-739_416.webp)
HERAT -- Before 1979, Afghanistan was experiencing urban development and modernization, with major hydroelectric dams, industrial factories, and highways under construction.
Educational institutions flourished, cultural life thrived in urban centers, and the country was making progress in infrastructure and commerce, according to Kabul residents.
The Soviet invasion created chaos that later allowed extremist groups to establish themselves.
When al-Qaeda gained a foothold in Afghanistan in the mid-1990s, the country's development trajectory shifted, with infrastructure damaged, resources diverted, and economic activity disrupted.
From progress to devastation
The contrast between Afghanistan's past and present remains stark for those who lived through it.
"I remember those times well. People in Kabul went to cinemas day and night, and music concerts were held every evening," recalled Gul Mohammad, 74, a Kabul resident.
"Boys and girls attended schools and universities without restrictions, and there was a special focus on education and knowledge," he told Salaam Times.
"Kabul was very prosperous then and on a path of progress, but with the onset of wars, the city was completely destroyed, and the people's happiness and peace were lost," he said.
Kabul-based political analyst Habib-ur-Rahman Aman emphasized the scale of change.
"Before the 1980s, Afghanistan led many neighboring countries in construction, progress, knowledge acquisition, and welfare," Aman said.
"Al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups stopped this progress and replaced it with destruction and bloodshed."
Economic collapse and self-interest
While civilians suffered increasing poverty, extremist groups established lucrative criminal networks.
"Al-Qaeda diverted Afghanistan from the path of progress to serve its terrorist objectives and destroyed the economy," said Kabul-based political analyst Nizamuddin Kabiri.
"War and extremism halted the country's economic cycle, causing widespread poverty among Afghans," he told Salaam Times.
As of March, more than half of the Afghan population, almost 23 million people, require life-saving assistance, according to the United Nations.
The expansion of extremist operations, including arms smuggling and other criminal enterprises, destroyed the national economy and triggered a massive brain drain as educated professionals fled the country in droves, Kabiri said.
Extremist groups have set Afghanistan back by decades, said Kabul-based university professor Kabir Ahmad Wesal.
Without al-Qaeda's presence, the country's economy could have grown more steadily, and poverty and illiteracy would likely be lower, he told Salaam Times.
Continuing threat
Despite decades of Afghan suffering, al-Qaeda continues prioritizing its organizational objectives over the welfare of ordinary Afghans.
Aman warned that the group still seeks to reestablish Afghanistan as a primary terrorist haven, which could perpetuate the cycle of violence that has cost numerous lives.
Where development once advanced through education, commerce and cultural expression, destruction now dominates daily life.
The transformation serves as a powerful reminder of terrorism's capacity to trap entire populations in poverty while extremist groups pursue their ideological goals, the analysts said.
