The Taliban
Afghanistan has suffered through intense conflict for decades despite the lack of awareness and media circulating it. The rapid takeover of the country by the Taliban, the collapse of the Afghan government and military, the brutal war crimes such as bombings and killings, and the overall savagery of the Taliban’s rule have caused an incredible amount of suffering, violence, and danger towards Afghans especially towards women. Citizens do not feel safe or comfortable in their own environment and they are being stripped of their human rights and freedom. Despite all of this, there is still a lack of awareness on this conflict due to the limited media discussing it.
The crisis in Afghanistan is a complex and multifaceted conflict that has brewed for years. For over four decades, the country has been in a state of war. The United States and its allies have been involved in the conflict since 2001. The US went to Afghanistan in 2001 in order to wage a war of self defense due to the Al-Qaeda terrorist attack on September 11, 2001. They launched an invasion to oust the Taliban regime that was providing a refuge for Al-Qaeda. The US-led intervention initially succeeded in ousting the Taliban from power and establishing a new government in Afghanistan. However, the conflict continued, and the Taliban regrouped and launched a resurgence. The Afghan government and military, despite receiving military and financial support from the United States and other allies, have been unable to defeat the Taliban or establish lasting peace and stability in the country. US troops had been in Afghanistan for 20 years trying to defeat the Taliban. “After 20 years of war in Afghanistan, I refused to send another generation of America’s sons and daughters to fight a war that should have ended long ago.” States President Biden. This marked the plan to withdraw all troops and end America’s longest war. This led to the collapse of the Afghan government.
The collapse of the Afghan government and military was swift and shocking. On April 14, 2021, President Biden released a plan to fully withdraw all 3,500 troops in Afghanistan by September 11, 2021. By August 15, 2021 the Afghan government collapsed and the Taliban took over Kabul, the capital city of Afghanistan. The withdrawal of US and allied troops from Afghanistan was supposed to be the end of the conflict and the beginning of a new era of peace and stability, however, instead it has marked the beginning of a new phase of the crisis.
The withdrawal of US and NATO forces severely weakened the already poor Afghan military. The Taliban benefitted from the weak Afghan government and seized control of most of the country, declaring the establishment of an Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. The Taliban captured all but two of Afghanistan’s provincial capitals and seized border crossings. Afghan security forces surrendered in some areas in order to avoid fighting the Taliban. In addition to this, Ashraf Ghani, the president of Afghanistan fled the country. The Taliban took control of Kabul, the capital city. This was the final action of the war and marked the victory of the Taliban.
The collapse of the Afghan government led to a humanitarian crisis as the Taliban’s rule was marked by extreme restrictions on human rights and consistent violence. The chaos at the Kabul airport of thousands of Afghans trying to flee the country illustrated the desperation and fear of their safety under the rule of the Taliban. An Afghan journalist, Ramin Rahman, left on a US military plane at Hamid Karzai international airport where he told his story. “There were thousands of people: women and men with their crying babies, struggling over what to do. They were fearful that the Taliban were coming. All these people, including foreigners, went to the airport not knowing what would happen. The people all around me were panicking as they realized there might not be a plane for them. Even if they had tickets, there was uncertainty around whether their flight would take off. They were frightened. So people started to damage the airport – windows and ticket booths. And from there, the situation just continued to get worse. I hid in a corner, even though I was also panicking. Looking out the window, I watched a whole scene unravel around an aircraft trying to leave for Turkey. People were streaming into the plane, and even hanging from the stairs. The aircraft was over capacity, and people were being pushed off the stairs so the plane could take off. They were screaming so loud that we could hear them from inside the airport. “We want to go, or we will die,” some shouted. I just watched in horror as I waited, pondering my fate.” This illustrates the sheer fear, desperation and uncertainty of the Afghan citizens. There was no other option for these citizens other than to flee. Either this or they would die or suffer from the hands of the Taliban.
The Taliban’s return to power raised major humanitarian concerns. Taliban forces have been incredibly cruel and violent. They have carried out executions, assassinations, bombings, and kidnappings. The Taliban have even enforced disappearances of former government officials and security force personnel. One instance of this is that on June 26, the Taliban attacked a man associated with the former government, killing four men, a woman and a girl. In another incident, the Taliban reportedly executed a pregnant police officer in public in front of her family in 2021. The officer had reportedly been captured by the Taliban while attempting to flee to Iran with her husband, who was also a police officer. The Taliban accused her of working with the Afghan government and executed her on the spot, despite pleas from her family and community. The Taliban has been so consistently barbaric and inhumane that Afghan citizens are familiar with their ways and are fearful of their rule. Anchal Vohra, a Brussels-based columnist for Foreign Policy states, “The hangings came just a day after Mullah Nooruddin Turabi—previously head of the Taliban’s notorious Ministry of Promotion of Virtue and Suppression of Vice two decades ago and now in charge of prisons—said that the Taliban will resume amputations and executions. “No one will tell us what our laws should be,” he told the Associated Press, as if severing limbs and stoning women buried up to their chest were not brutal acts but a matter of sovereignty and cultural preference. His comments terrified Afghans who remember the Taliban’s last stint in power, specifically scenes of public executions at soccer stadiums. Between 1996 and 2001 the Taliban shot convicts at point-blank range, chopped off the arms and feet of alleged thieves, and flogged people for minor offenses. The tales of horrors that took place at the Ghazi Stadium in Kabul have become part of the local folklore in Afghanistan.” This portrays that the Taliban is severely cruel when in power and takes advantage of this power in order to be brutal. Afghan citizens had previously experienced the Taliban’s power once before and are terrified to experience it again.
Women
Their brutality on women is especially violent. They increasingly deprive women of their rights to be educated, to be employed, and their overall freedom. They have forced marriages on women, and are sexually violent against women and even girls. Women are in constant restriction and danger under the rule of the Taliban. Their treatment is agonizing and heartbreaking. Seran de Leede, in her research report on Afghan women states That,“The Taliban closed schools for girls and enforced a strict interpretation of sharia law and Pashtun customary law; women were banned from working outside the home or leaving the house without a chadari and a mahram. The Taliban’s religious police meted out severe punishment for any infractions of the moral order. In the south, the Taliban regime was deeply ingrained in Pashtun society.
In other parts of Afghanistan, especially the parts dominated by other ethnicities, the Taliban were never able to establish complete control. Women from ethnic minorities such as the Tajik, Uzvek and Hazara were systematically targeted and abducted.”
This illustrates how injust and brutal the Taliban are to Afghans, especially towards women. Women are stripped of their rights from being educated, working outside and even leaving their own home. The Taliban portrays how much respect they have towards women through these suppressions. A restriction from education is incredibly disheartening and broke the hearts of many Afghan women. Education not only empowers women but it is crucial in breaking the cycle of inequality, creating opportunities for growth and innovation and allowing women to contribute to their communities. Without this human right, Afghan women are set back for personal, social and economic development. 16 year old Nasiba who lives in Kabul states,“I want to go to school and become an independent woman who chooses and decides for her life. If I am educated, men wouldn’t dare to interfere but if I am not, they will decide my whole life for me.” Roya, an 18 year old girl states, “I always dreamed of being a lawyer and had been preparing to get into law school,” she said. “But now with the Taliban taking over I don’t think I have a future.” Over three million girls have been denied education since the Taliban takeover. The only available education for girls is primary school. Secondary school, grades seven and up are open only for boys.
Another one of the many instances of the brutality of the Taliban is Farzana’s story. Farzana is a 28 year old survivor of domestic violence and a recovering addict. She was forced into drug dependency by her abusive husband for 12 years. “He is a horrible man. He would rape me, and if I tried to resist he beat me up. Then he started to drug me so I couldn’t fight back,” said Farzana. Once he was convicted for a murder case and was finally arrested, she was able to be free of him, get her kids back and rebuild her life. However in July 2021 once Herat province fell under the rule of the Taliban, the Taliban released all prisoners from Afghan jails. Ever since, she has been missing and wasn’t even able to be the one to tell her own story.
Mariam, an Afghan psychologist who was counseling her before the Taliban took control, told her story. “She called to tell me her husband was threatening her. He told her he had joined the Taliban and would find and punish her. She was terrified, and was in hiding with her children,” says Mariam. She has been trying to trace Farzana and 14 other female survivors of domestic violence ever since. Mariam too was also threatened by criminals who had been set free who blamed her for protecting and supporting victims of their violence.
Mariam and her colleagues are not alone. Several organizations providing psychological support and shelters to Afghan survivors of violence were forced to shut down by the Taliban. The Taliban forced 16 shelters, and 12 family guidance centers to close down, seizing their properties and forcing nearly 1,000 women to return to their abusive families or partners.
Farzana’s story conveys the cruelty of the Taliban, how little they care for women and how brutal they can be. To free criminals and allow them to continue terrorizing Afghanistan is one of the many examples of their ruthlessness.
“Women are banned from education, work, going to parks or restaurants or even doing exercises”, Mariam states. Women are rarely allowed to be outside. They are also not permitted to travel more than 75 km without a male to accompany them. Not only are women compelled to stay home, but they also aren’t allowed refuge when their household is abusive.
Media
The Taliban has also imposed restrictions on media freedom, with reports of journalists being targeted and threatened. They also have taken over social media accounts and shut down independent news outlets. This is another disheartening aspect of this complex conflict, the lack of media covering this issue.
It is clear that the level of media attention has decreased over time, and the conflict has not received the same level of coverage as other international conflicts or crises. This has led to a lack of awareness of this conflict. I sent out a survey in order to observe how much the general public knows about this conflict. Most of the respondents were not aware of what was occurring.
People have an understanding that there is a conflict but don’t understand the extent of this humanitarian crisis. When asked how much information they know about this conflict, one respondent stated, “I don’t have much knowledge on the current situation but I know there is a political/social struggle going on which is affecting the innocent on a daily basis”,. Another respondent stated “I know that the Taliban is an islamic fundamentalist and militaristic group but I do not know their role in the conflict”. When asked what kind of humanitarian issues are occurring, respondents have said that they have not heard anything “specifically” , “but I [have] heard it has been a major issue for a while now.” These quotes provide a clear representation of the general understanding of the Taliban rule. , that there has been a prolonged struggle in Afghanistan, however there is a lack of knowledge on the brutality of the Taliban and how much danger Afghans, especially women are in.
The crisis in Afghanistan is far from over and the future of this country is uncertain.
The Taliban’s return to power marks a major setback for the cause of democracy and human rights and it remains uncertain whether Afghanistan will be able to establish a stable government that represents all Afghans and is much less violent. It is important to remain engaged and vigilant of this crisis, the least we can do is be aware and not ignorant and have hope that the people of Afghanistan aren’t subjected to even more violence and suffering.
Annotated Bibliography
de Leede, S. (2014). Afghan Women and the Taliban: An Exploratory Assessment. International Centre for Counter-Terrorism. http://www.jstor.org/stable/resrep17470
In this research report, Seran de Leede pays attention to the role of women as supporters and victims to political violence. She aims to contribute to a better understanding of the role of women in countering political violence in Afghanistan. Leede also explores if Afghan women have been involved in the armed struggle of the Taliban as either active or passive supporters and examines the role women can play in countering extremism in this country. Throughout this report, Leede provides information on how the Taliban has been brutal towards women, the history of the Talbans rule and violence. Kumar, R. (2023, February 24). Farzana survived rape, addiction and losing her children. then the Taliban came – now she is missing. The Guardian. Retrieved March 28, 2023, from https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2023/feb/24/afghanistan-taliban-domesti c-violence-women-missing
In this article, Ruchi Kumar discusses a woman who waa a victim of domestic violence, forced into drug dependency by her husband and only sought freedom once he was arrested for murder, however once the Taloban took over, they freed all of the prisoners and brought danger back into her life. After being threatened by her husband and forced into hiding, she has been missing ever since as well as many other domestic violence survivors. This article also portrays that the Taliban forced the shut down of many organizations providing psychological support as well as shelters and a safe refuge for domestic
Council on Foreign Relations. (n.d.). Timeline: U.S. War in Afghanistan. Council on Foreign Relations. https://www.cfr.org/timeline/us-war-afghanistan
Throughout this article the author provides a very detailed timeline of the US war in Afghanistan from the year 1999 to 2021. The author lists major events that occurred in each year. Most of these events are in relation, thus this allows the reader to understand specific events that happened, why it happened, and what this resulted in. Some events consist of how Al-Qaeda was created, their terrorism on Afghanistan as well as the United states, how the US responded, their involvement and impact on Afghanistan. These are all the major beginning events however the author listed every major event from the beginning to the end, the current state of Afghanistan. These later events involve the US withdrawal from Afghanistan as well as how the Taliban rose and took over Afghanistan.
Guardian News and Media. (2021, August 18). “we kept on hearing gunshots”: My chaotic escape from Kabul’s airport. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/aug/18/afghanistan-kabul-airport-escape-journalist
This article was written by an Afghan Journalist, Ramin Rahman describing the chaotic condition when he was trying to leave Afghanistan. Rahman described thousands of people in pure panic with their crying children, not knowing what to do and very fearful of the Taliban’s takeover. Some were scared there wouldn’t be a plane for them, despite having tickets. The aircraft was overfull and people were hanging from the stairs. People were screaming that they either could leave or die here. The Afghani citizens as well as foreigners grew even more frightened when hearing several gunshots closeby. The pilots were screaming they couldn’t take off with too many people onboard and people were forced to leave. Ramin himself saw mothers with their children and felt guilty thus he decided to leave and boarded the next flight. On this flight people were cheering and celebrating as the plane took off. This article was heartbreaking. To be in a situation like this where you are this desperate to flee your own home country because you are frightened for your life and your childrens is incredibly saddening.
This is my final source I have provided information from. A direct survey I have created in order to capture the general understanding of this crisis
