5 Important Questions About Afghanistan Answered
Let’s get the basics right.
Photo: Unsplash
You’ve probably recently seen a hefty bit of media coverage on the ongoing conflict in Afghanistan — and rightfully so, because as this dire situation progresses, so does the number of civilian casualties, the number of attacked educational institutions and hospitals, and the number of violations of international humanitarian law.
With this in mind, we’ve addressed five important questions about the recent takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban.
Who is the Taliban?
The Taliban is an Islamist religious-political movement and military organisation in Afghanistan.
Regarded by many governments and organisations as ‘terrorists’, the Taliban are notorious for their brutality and enforcement of a harsh brand of Islamic justice.
But their ruling came to a pause when U.S. forces invaded and came to Afghanistan’s rescue in 2001.
What is happening in Afghanistan?
The Taliban has entered Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul since August 8, 2021, and has taken control of most of Afghanistan, leading to the Afghan government’s relatively quick concession.
In light of this, the U.S. troops have been withdrawn from Afghanistan and helicopters were sent in to evacuate Americans from Kabul at U.S. President Biden’s behest. Biden’s response to the tragedy was: ‘[i]t’s been 20 years, and we haven’t won. Let’s quit’.
Why did the Afghan government surrender so quickly?
First, there was no ideological cohesion within the army or any sense of national duty. Instead, there was mistrust towards the country’s leadership; no Afghan solider was reportedly ready to fight for President Ashraf Ghani or their government, especially as there exist conspiracy theories about a secret deal between the government and the Taliban.
Another reason is the widespread corruption in Afghanistan’s defence and interior ministries, involving the embezzlement of money, and the theft of ammunition and food deliveries before reaching the ground. Many soldiers in the Afghan National Defence Security Forces (ANDSF) were unpaid and despite years of training, the ANDSF never developed the capacity to protect urban areas; rather, this was left to NATO and US troops. Therefore, once NATO and the U.S.’ troops withdrew, there was no barrier to hinder the Taliban’s uprooting.
What is gonna happen to women and children?
In 1996, the Taliban applied Sharia Law in Afghanistan. This involved compelling women to wear head-to-toe, face-covering garments (namely burqas), beating women if they went outside independently without a male guardian, and shutting down schools for girls. A violation of these rules resulted in being publicly executed, stoned or whipped.
In 2001, however, after the U.S. invaded Afghanistan, things took a turn for the better as rape and forced marriage was criminalised. Preventing women or girls from studying or working was also made illegal.
But, currently, in 2021, since the Taliban have recently regained control, they reportedly executed people summarily, lashed women, shut down schools, and blew up hospitals and infrastructure.
Why did the U.S. intervene in the beginning?
In the beginning, the U.S. was responding to the 9/11 attacks that held al-Qaeda and its leader, Osama Bin Landen responsible. Bin Laden was reportedly in Afghanistan under the protection of the Taliban. So when they refused to hand Bin Laden over, the U.S. intervened.
But their then-short-term goal elongated as their aim later became to prevent future threats from arising from new extremist groups. To achieve this, the U.S. occupied and attempted to provide stability and security so Afghanistan could set up their own government.
“It’s been 20 years, and we haven’t won. Let’s quit.”
Hence, over the last 20 years, the U.S. government has spent more than $83 billion in training and equipment for the Afghan national army, police, air force and special forces.
