Beginning in April of 2021, American troops were gradually removed from Afghanistan, despite widespread concerns of violence that could ensue from the U.S.’s loss of control. The ensuing insecurity has created refugee issues as well as humanitarian issues.
As tensions rise, many Afghan citizens have decided to flee the country. However, neighboring countries like Pakistan have begun to close their borders to all refugees. The country’s army was deployed to the border to prevent any Afghan refugees from getting through. Moeed Yusef, National Security Advisor for Pakistan, cites the reason as the government lacking the capacity to provide sufficient aid. The Taliban also promised to prevent the Pakistan Taliban, a separate group, from launching attacks against Pakistan from Afghan soil. Pakistan officials maintain that they are interested in a solution that ends with Afghanistan being “Afghan owned and Afghan led.”
Saudi Arabia’s foregin ministry released a statement saying that Saudi Arabia “hopes that the Taliban movement and all Afghan parties will work to preserve security, stability, lives and property, and at the same time, affirms its support for the Afghan people and the choices they make without any interference.” The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has even gone so far to suspend flights from Afghanistan since July of 2021. Both of these countries’ decisions reflect the ambiguous statement from the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), an international organization consisting of 57 member states, stating that no countries should shelter or house terrorist organizations.
Fortunately, countries such as Iran, India, and the United Kingdom have been supportive in international efforts to evacuate Afghan citizens. Canada, and the U.S. have also agreed to take in 20,000, and up to 10,000 respectively.
Since the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan, violence has increased specifically against women, including forced marriages for those even as young as 14 and restrictive living conditions. A letter signed by the Taliban Cultural Commission reads, “All imams and mullahs in captured areas should provide the Taliban with a list of girls above 15 and widows under 45 to be married to Taliban fighters.” Women have reportedly been forcibly removed from their jobs, events reminiscent of Taliban control 20 years ago.
Previous laws included preventing women from attending school, working outside of their home, or leaving their house without a man accompanying them. Punishments for said rule infractions included public humiliation and beatings by religious police.
The Taliban has committed to allow women to play a role in the government, and claims no future plans of restriction. The Taliban has also offered general amnesty to all who have had previous affiliations with the U.S. government. Despite these vague commitments towards women’s rights, neighboring countries like Pakistan and Iran are threatening to disengage completely with Afghanistan if they continue human rights abuses towards women.
These humanitarian concerns are decades old, creating a climate of tension for the U.S.-Afghanistan relationship. 9/11 was a crucial point in time where international attention, but particularly the attention of the American people, shifted toward the Middle East.
Militia group Al-Qaeda, run by Osama Bin Laden, conducted a mass terrorist operation in New York, leading to the destruction of the World Trade Center and 3000+ casualties. Since this point in time, the U.S. has been in Afghanistan for approximately 18 years.
At the height of the situation, President George W. Bush approached the Afghan leaders of the time, the Taliban, requesting a U.S. investigation in their state. However, the Taliban refused, demanding that there needed to be sufficient evidence for an investigation to be held on foreign soil. The Taliban offered three solutions: the U.S. offering the evidence directly to Afghanistan, the U.S. offering the evidence to the UN Council, or the U.S. offering the evidence to three neutral countries on the UN Council.
Although the evidence of Osama Bin Laden’s involvement in 9/11 was certainly promising, the Taliban maintained their position and prepared for a war with the U.S. Since the U.S. invasion, tensions have remained nearly constant between the U.S. and Afghanistan and what role the U.S. should play in the Middle East.
This withdrawal itself has been a bipartisan affair. Former President Donald J. Trump offered a peace treaty with the Taliban in March of 2020. Trump publicly announced that it was “time to bring our people back home.” A condition of the deal was that the U.S. and NATO had to withdraw all troops within 14 months if the Taliban militants uphold the deal. President Joe Biden has supported this deal, continuing the withdrawal of troops coming into office. Yet now this decision is being treated as controversial in Congress as republicans and democrats debate the role the U.S.’s role in international affairs.
People in the United States are curious as to what exactly we can do to help out. One thing the average person can do is raise awareness of the issue. The use of social media has skyrocketed during the pandemic, and many organizations have chosen to extend their awareness via outlets such as Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, and Facebook. One choice that many of us have is to bring more voices to the situation by posting on our stories.
Another step we can take is to donate. Whether it is $5 or $500, every penny counts. Many organizations which have been officially verified in directly aiding the Afghans in need include: the Afghanistan Relief Organization, Women for Afghan Women, and the Afghanistan Emergency Fund. Though there are a multitude of fundraisers and NGOs, the organizations listed above are safe to donate to. Sadly, there are many fraudulent organizations that are trying to take advantage of the situation. Donating requires thorough research into organizations.
One of the most important things we can do is educate ourselves and hold more conversations about this topic. The more we continue to talk about the situation, the more voices will be heard. Many students are not well-informed on this topic, therefore it is crucial that we continue to educate others and ourselves. Barstow hallways are filled with conversation, and by educating others, we can make a difference.
