ISLAMABAD -- Judging by the roaring business in barber shops across Afghanistan, the war-torn country is certainly feeling liberated. Women who were forced to venture outside clad only in a "burqa" now have the freedom to take off the long veil, while many Afghans are celebrating the freedom to play music.
Amid the upbeat joy, though, the Central Asian country's long-term prospects in the aftermath of the destruction of the Taliban remain unclear. Billions of dollars must be spent to rebuild a completely devastated infrastructure, broken down by years of fighting.
While there is little love lost for the Taliban, many Afghans may still recall the feeling of improved personal security that followed the seizure of their country by the hardline regime in 1996. The Taliban are down but not necessarily out, especially if they hold to their promise of taking their resistance to Afghanistan's mountains, where fighting by a regular military force, no matter how well-trained, remains a major challenge.