By Ana Rufa Padua, Jaemie Talingdan, and Regina Vendivil
Though the war has come to an end, the coming days don’t seem to be any brighter as ashes of the dark past obscure the light.
The 20-year long war between the Afghans and the Americans came to a halt with the Taliban claiming victory as they successfully invaded major cities of the country, including Kabul, two weeks ago, leaving citizens with fright and uncertainty about the future that awaits them.
As the Taliban continues to tighten its grip over Afghanistan, Afghans fear the worst for the return of the military group’s rule that governed the country from 1996-2001.
The Taliban’s rule was marked by a cruel version of the sharia Islamic law, causing many political rights and basic freedom to be cut down, with women being severely oppressed.
However, in their first news conference, the Taliban promised to protect women’s rights and press freedom, meaning there will be no discrimination and women will still be allowed to work and study, although mixed-gender classes will be banned from attending universities.
Despite the statement about women’s rights, posters, billboards, and other advertisements of women around Kabul were seen to be painted over completely, presumably in accordance with the Taliban’s command.
Afghan citizens are now wrapped in dread as they, including officials and the security forces, have been in complete hiding, with their president Ashraf Ghani fleeing from Kabul last August 15 and the uncertainty of their lives and future prevailing amidst the Taliban takeover.
As reported by the U.S. military, a drone strike in Kabul last Sunday, August 29, which was suspected to be part of a planned attack in Afghanistan, may have caused “additional casualties”, including the two targeted Islamic State militants that were killed along with three children. According to strike witnesses, several citizens were also killed and wounded.
Additionally, last Monday, August 30, 2021, the firing of as many as five rockets was reported at the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul as the United States presence rushed to reach its August 31 withdrawal deadline from Afghanistan, ending America’s longest war in history. No casualties were reported from the incident.
More than 117,000 people have evacuated from Afghanistan and boarded U.S. and other flights as of August 28. According to Pentagon officials, the majority of the evacuees are Afghan citizens. Furthermore, thousands have already landed in the United States while others are still waiting in “transit hubs” located in Europe and the Middle East.
The Taliban’s Emergence
The Taliban first emerged in 1994 when a civil war for control over the country was on-going in Afghanistan after the withdrawal of the Soviet Union. Following the establishment of the United States policy of nonrecognition, they “transformed from an Islamic students’ movement into one of the country’s [Afghanistan] most influential armed factions.” (Anderson, 2021).
It was by 1996 when they had taken control over most of the country, including its capital city—Kabul, and declared what they considered the legitimate government of Afghanistan or the new Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. In spite of this, the Taliban had an opposing force against them—the Northern Alliance led by Burhanuddin Rabbani, who claimed to be Afghanistan’s “lawful” leader.
At the time, the Clinton administration claimed that they did not recognize the Taliban nor any of the other factions as the legal government of Afghanistan. In spite of this, the Taliban maintained close diplomatic relations with the US due to their human rights record, treatment of women and girls, abuse of ethnic and religious minorities, and participation in the global narcotics trade.
Relations to Al-Qaeda
All efforts went down the drain as the Taliban were tied to an extremist group known as the Al-Qaeda, who were responsible for the bombing of U.S embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998. The two groups were ultimately hailed as terrorists in 1999 when the United Nations Security Council adopted Resolution 1267, which imposes a sanction on their funding, travel and shipment of armory.
The United States ordered the Taliban to surrender the leader of al-Qaeda, Osama bin Laden, who was believed to be sheltered by the group, claiming he was related to the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001. When the Taliban asked for proof regarding the said claim, the United States did not bother to explain and invaded their territory. The Taliban was completely removed from power with help from Rabbani and the Northern Alliance in November of the same year under the disguise of US airstrikes.
Both Osama bin Laden and the founder of the Taliban, Mullah Mohammad Omar, were able to escape during the November airstrikes. bin Laden was found and killed by a U.S Navy SEAL (Sea, Air, and Land) team ten years later, May 2011 in Pakistan. On the other hand, Mohammad Omar’s passing was only confirmed by his son two years later after his actual death in 2013.
Former US President Barack Obama formally ended major combat operations and transitioned to training and assisting Afghan security forces on December 31, 2014.
2020 to 2021 Agreements
In an agreement the Taliban and the Trump administration had in February 2020, all American forces were asked to leave Afghanistan by May 1, 2021 with the pledge that the Taliban would reduce violence, sever all ties with terrorist groups like Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State affiliate in Afghanistan. (Zucchino, 2021).
Current US President Joe Biden extended the deadline [of leaving Afghanistan] to September 11, 2021, exactly twenty years after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. According to the US President, twenty years was not clearly not enough to transform Afghanistan to a modern, stable democratic country.
“American troops cannot and should not be fighting in a war and dying in a war that Afghan forces are not willing to fight for themselves,” Biden said in his August 16 address.
For the last twenty years, U.S Presidents starting from George Bush, Barack Obama, up until Donald Trump have been promising to help Afghanistan gain democracy to avoid being a sanctuary for al-Qaeda or other terrorist groups. Although this was the initial intention, the U.S has retorted to “nation-building” again and again, president after president.
So engrossed in their nation-building, the United States has spent more than $100 billion just for reconstruction, aid programs, and the Afghan security forces. As a result, the U.S built a corrupt and dysfunctional government reliant on U.S military power instead of a stable, democratic Afghanistan that could fight their own battles.
What happens next?
Without international intervention, experts foresee Afghanistan’s cash-based economy nearing collapse. Since Afghanistan is heavily dependent on international aid, the halt on such deposits after the Taliban takeover has been a great detriment to the country’s economy.
There are many factors dictating Afghanistan’s access to the said aid, including but not limited to Western powers’ recognition of the Taliban’s stateship—or the lack thereof—and the Taliban’s willingness to compromise and govern effectively.
On top of the lack of foreign aid, everyday commerce has also become more difficult for Afghan citizens. The Taliban takeover also brought with it a freeze on the country’s financial reserves and a halt in much of the aid that has kept Afghanistan afloat for years. Banks have not fully reopened which has resulted in the inaccessibility of many citizens to cash and basic necessities.
In a video shown by the Asvaka News Agency, an afghan man was shown selling his household items to earn roughly 60 afghanis daily—only enough to buy him four to five pieces of bread a day.
For as long as Afghanistan’s resources, international reserves and liquid assets are frozen, their economy will remain at a standstill or worsen given the economic and humanitarian crises they are facing.
Even before the Taliban’s seizure of power, Afghanistan has already been in the midst of a humanitarian crisis. Amid rising conflict, over 390,000 people have been displaced since the start of the year, but actual numbers could be far higher. Severe drought has also been a threat to the population’s livelihoods and food security, on top of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Taliban’s rule has restricted international organizations from providing aid to Afghan citizens and may continue to do so. The worsening food insecurity, drought, COVID-19, and refugee crisis all contribute to the nation’s dip into a humanitarian catastrophe.
At this stage, international leaders are relying on the Taliban’s willingness to “show that they are now in control, that they are a functioning government, and that they mean it when they say that they have changed” as a military approach will not lead to durable peace and development. Western powers are willing to compromise—only when the Taliban governs effectively will the international community unfreeze Afghanistan’s foreign reserves and allow the Taliban to access the country’s central bank’s assets.
Although the Taliban has pledged to respect human rights, the surge in human rights violations raises concern among Afghans and foreign organizations alike. Over the past few weeks, the Asia Pacific Refugee Network has reportedly received several calls on their crisis helpline reporting various violations of international humanitarian law such as executions and beatings, targeted killings and lootings, and media repression. With these incidents persisting despite the Taliban’s promises, such abuses continuing in the future is not a far off possibility.
Nonetheless, Afghans will not go down without a fight.
References:
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