The Taliban continued to sharply restrict religious freedom and force men to grow beards. Roughly 85 percent of the population is Sunni Muslim, and the Taliban and other factions have meted out particularly harsh treatment to the Hazara Shiite minority. Outside areas of Taliban control, the rule of law is similarly nonexistent. Justice is administered arbitrarily according to Sharia and traditional customs. Rival groups carry out torture and extrajudicial killings against opponents and suspected sympathizers.
Opposition groups operate radio stations and publish propaganda newspapers.
The loosely organized opposition Northern Alliance operates the only television station in Afghanistan from its headquarters in Faizabad. The Northern Alliance also operates schools for both boys and girls. The UN estimates that even after ten years of mine clearance, Afghanistan remains the most heavily mined country in the world. The 20 years of fighting since the Soviet invasion have left tens of thousands of Afghans internally displaced, and some 2.6 million others as refugees in Iran and Pakistan.