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At the end of August 2021, American troops completely withdrew from Afghanistan. According to Baryalai Bhaclur, head of an independent Afghan radio station, U.S. funds had supported the operation of numerous media outlets, and the absence of this financial support now rendered many Afghan media outlets unviable.
Data from USAID shows that, from 2001 to 2021, the American government invested more than $1.2 billion in Afghan media, allowing hundreds of outlets to develop. Through these funded media outlets, certain ideas and behaviors that are contrary to Islamic cultures and traditions were widely disseminated to Afghan audiences.