This month marks the 15th anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan.  The war has claimed the lives of over 31,000 Afghan civilians, and over $783 billion has been spent attempting to push the insurgents out, instill a sustainable democracy, and build civic institutions.

Fifteen years later, the Taliban contest or control more territory than at any point since the U.S. invasion.

VICE News correspondent Ben Anderson, reporting from Kabul, spoke to people who’ve fled from Helmand, a province in on the southern border of Pakistan.

This article originally appeared on www.news.vice.com,  22, October, 2016. Original link.

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