Travel Influencer's Photo with Taliban Sparks Social Media Outrage

A travel influencer has sparked outrage online after posting a picture from her recent trip to Afghanistan, where she was seen "fangirling" over members of the Taliban group.

Marian Abdi, the Somali American influencer known as ‘Geenyada Madow,’ faced criticism for her posts in which she described visiting the nation as a "dream come true."

The scrutiny intensified after Abdi shared a photo showing her smiling and posing next to Taliban members armed with AK-47s.

Her post garnered over 4 million views and 8.4K comments.

One user asked, "How did they behave? I am very curious as they came up from the ashes and started where they left."
Abdi responded, "I received nothing but respect. I don’t agree with everything they do, but I didn’t see any issue being there."

Another user remarked, "I’m so confused. These same men you stand by smiling at, like you won a prize, restrict their women from doing exactly what you’re doing—traveling, blogging, being educated, working! If you lived in Afghanistan, you would be at home asking for permission to even step outside!"

A third comment read, "Do not promote a terrorist group that has banned education and all fundamental rights of women."

A fourth user commented, "I’m assuming you didn’t ask why they stone women or have banned education for girls?"

Abdi also took to YouTube to share details about her meeting with Taliban fighters. She expressed that she was nervous about the meeting and claimed she asked the fighters why Afghan girls were barred from continuing their education beyond sixth grade. She described receiving "varied reactions on their faces" and responses from the Taliban members.

“Visiting Afghanistan has been a dream come true. This country is recovering from 40 years of war and turmoil. Over the next few days, I will share my experiences here in Afghanistan, including insights into the people, the food, and the overall culture. I’ll also explore what it's like to navigate a society where men dominate many aspects of life,” Abdi posted on Instagram on August 14.

In response to the backlash, Abdi said, “I'm genuinely curious—what do you want me to do? Should I avoid visiting Afghanistan altogether? How do you expect a tourist to navigate politics with the Taliban? Even if I didn’t take a photo with them, would that change anything? As a foreign tourist, I'm just interested in seeing the country. Yes, a lot is happening, but is that my fault? Other YouTubers have created content there, so why am I treated differently? And why bring race into this? What should a content creator do—avoid Afghanistan entirely?”