On the 15th August, the Taliban officially took over Afghanistan. The president of Afghanistan – Ashraf Ghani fled the country. With no opposing government, the people of Afghanistan are now under the rule of the terrorists. Hysteria, panic, and terror are the dominating emotions. The women and children of Afghanistan are in a vulnerable situation. The threat of forced marriages, closing of schools and universities, and erasure of women from the public image is looming under the rule of the Taliban.
The US retreated its troops from Afghanistan. On August 14, President Biden gave an official statement regarding the withdrawal of the American troops from Afghanistan. President Biden said in his official statement, “I was the fourth President to preside over an American troop presence in Afghanistan—two Republicans, two Democrats. I would not, and will not, pass this war onto a fifth.”
What is the Afghanistan war?
On September 11, 2001 Al-Qaeda operatives hijacked four commercial airlines and crashed them into the World Trade Center. Weeks after this attack, the US declared that it has launched attacks against the terrorist group and the Taliban in Afghanistan.
From October 7, 2001 the US military started bombing campaigns in Afghanistan which had cost a great deal of civilian lives.
On May 1, 2011, US forces killed Osama bin Laden, the terrorist behind the 9/11 attacks in Pakistan.
Read more about the Afghanistan war
The US withdrawal after 20 years of inefficacious war
The US signed a peace agreement with the Taliban on February 29, 2020. However, the relations between the Taliban and the Afghans remained that of terror and destruction.
After spending almost 1000 billion dollars, losing thousands of soldiers, and displacing millions of Afghan civilians, the US made peace with the Talibans – the enemies they created in the first place. As a result of leaving, the whole population of Afghanistan is in an utter state of horror and terror. Those who can afford are fleeing the country, others have no options left but to pray.
The political unrest in the history of Afghanistan
The British tried to invade Afghanistan in 1838, however they did not succeed. From 1979 to 1989, the Soviet troops captured Afghanistan and destroyed the infrastructure and caused harm to the people.
In 1980, to combat the Soviets, US, China, Pakistan, and Iran supplied ammunition to the Mujahideens (which made the present-day Taliban). By 1985, half of the population of Afghanistan was displaced while the Mujahideens were accumalted.
By 1989, the soviet troops left Afghanistan but new political unrest followed as the Mujahideen wanted to overthrow the government of Afghanistan.
By 1997, the Taliban seized Kabul and their dystopian rule began.
From 1998 to 2001, the US imposed various sanctions on Afghanistan followed by a bombing.
The present scenario
At the end of 2020, nearly 2.9 million Afghans were internally displaced within the country. According to the UN, more than 1000 civilians have been killed. The news of fights between the people and the Taliban forces are coming from different regions of Afghanistan.
A lot of people are fleeing the country hysterically. Videos of people jostling to board the plane are getting viral. In their desperate attempts to leave the country they are climbing and holding on to the tyres of the airplane.
Banks have closed and all commercial flights have been cancelled. The Talibans have gained control of all the media and news channels in Afghanistan.
The propaganda that the Talibans have changed is gaining attention, however, the truth is that the Taliban haven’t changed at all. They are erasing the photos of women from Kabul. Taliban militants are organising a door to door search for journalists, activists, government officials, or any one who has worked for the foreign authorities in the past.
Women are being told to stop going to schools. They cannot leave home without a male escort and cannot choose the clothes they want to wear. The country is heading towards a dystopia.
While Afghanistan suffers, most of the world remains silent. Even if the citizens of numerous countries are helping out a bit, the governments of these countries are doing nothing to solve the humanitarian crisis.
The conflict in Afghanistan is not internal. It has been influenced and elevated by outer forces. Different countries have stated the conflict to be internal and have escaped from helping the country that is in severe need of assistance.
What can you do?
Educate yourself regarding the conflict in Afghanistan. Write to your governments to support the people of Afghanistan. Protest, volunteer, and extend your help to the people who are in dire need of it.
Donate to go fund me campaigns and other campaigns that are providing food, shelter, and sanitary products to the people of Afghanistan. Be vocal, educate the people around you, share the important information on social media, and sign petitions.
Use your voice to raise awareness and help the people of Afghanistan.
Here’s how you can help, donate, and volunteer –