Fear stalks this city's market stalls, back alleys and dusty roads — fear that an upcoming agreement between the United States and the Taliban will trigger worsening violence and even a new civil war.
Even as the U.S. and the Taliban head toward the deal that could see American troops withdraw from Afghanistan, few people remember what peace feels like after decades of violence.
"If the USA leaves Afghanistan, the Afghan army is not in a position to stand on its own feet," Najeeb Hayat, 61, a tailor from Kabul. "Anyone with weapons in Afghanistan will have power, it will be very difficult to stop them and will result in a civil war again."