Scientific, nationwide surveys conducted in 2005 through 2014 found that 82% to 92% of the people of Afghanistan preferred the elected government over the Taliban that ruled the nation until U.S. Armed Forces toppled it in 2001. However, President Biden withdrew U.S. military protections in 2021 and allowed for a deadly insurrection that overthrew the elected government. Since then, interviews with Afghan citizens, aid workers, and journalists gathered by Amnesty International have found that "the human rights situation of women and girls in Afghanistan deteriorated severely, despite the Taliban's initial promise to respect women's and girls' rights. The Taliban have been increasingly introducing new restrictions with the apparent aim of completely erasing women's and girls' presence from public arenas" and "oppressing" them "in almost all aspects of their lives."