The latest departure of Western forces from Afghanistan came amid a carnage on the ground, bitter recriminations in Washington and London, and fear among those left behind in a shattered land. The 20th anniversary of September 11 will be marked by the humiliating defeat of the United States, the United Kingdom and their allies., and the growing darkness for Afghans as they see the meticulous achievements of the past two decades being snatched away as they enter a threatening future.
The attack on the Kabul airport by the Islamic State faction in the region (ISIS-K) last week, in which at least 169 Afghans were massacred, and the prevalence of other extremist groups such as Al-Qaeda, are a warning of that the savage civil war that followed the withdrawal of Russian forces, in the late 1980s, can come back with all the devastation that would entail.
I have been covering the most recent Afghan war since its inception and have seen firsthand the kinds of atrocities that again seem to be the fate of the country.. In fact, as I witnessed the fall of Kabul and then the desperate plight of refugees who tried to flee the Taliban in recent weeks, it became very clear to me that for many Afghans the nightmare has already begun.
“I was thinking this morning that I am 20 years old, I was born the year the Taliban regime ended. The life I wanted will end now, 20 years later, “he told me Afshaneh Ansari, the sister of a friend I have known for a decade, the day the Taliban entered Kabul.
“I wanted to be an artist trying to merge Afghan and Western art. I’m also a gender activist,” explained Afshaneh, a student at Kabul University, adding: “I don’t think that’s possible now, not in Afghanistan. No I can believe that this disaster has happened, that our lives have been destroyed just like that. “
For others, anguish mixed with bewilderment after being disappointed by the West. Benesh Allaiwal, a 28-year-old human rights activist, called me the day the Taliban told the workers to stay home and Joe Biden refused to extend the deadline for evacuations.
“It doesn’t surprise me that the Taliban and the American president did us so much damage on the same day. I guess something like this was always going to happen when Mr. Biden announced that he would withdraw the soldiers, which was a clear signal for the Taliban to attack.” Benesh said. The young activist’s family had fled to Pakistan during the Taliban rule and returned after the fall of Mullah Mohammed Omar’s regime following the invasion of US and British troops in 2001.
“Americans and Europeans encouraged women like me to educate themselves, to fight for our rights and the rights of others.”Benesh emphasized. “However, These are the things that make me a target for the Taliban. The only hope we have is the flights but believe me, many, many people will not be able to do it, “he added painfully.
The evacuation was turbulent from the start, something that was going to happen with the terms and conditions imposed. It is true that thousands of people have been airlifted to safety, but many have been left behind and some remain in hiding, hunted by vengeful jihadists.
There is anger among US, British and other Western forces at what happened: they know that the people they had worked with, often in dangerous conditions, are being left behind. What they witnessed, as people tried to escape the Taliban on the airlift, was a very emotional experience for many.
On a particularly bad day, when seven people died from the crush and heat in front of the British force’s headquarters, the Baron Hotel, a Parachute Regiment soldier He came over to say, “You know? I’ve been in the military for 12 years and what’s happening here is the worst I’ve ever experienced“A younger soldier simply added:” I have never seen a corpse before, when I joined the army I expected to see people die but not this, I did not expect this”.
Each and every foreign journalist on the ground has received desperate pleas from those trying to escape; They have all done the best they can, pulling out individuals and families with the help of supportive troops and officials who have shown patience and compassion.
The pleas for help continued even after the air bridges ended. They are people we know well and others we don’t know at all. As I write this, there are phone calls from someone I met in Herat two weeks ago. “Please, please, ask your government for help, they want to kill us,” said the man. He had reason to be scared.
There is deep concern for our Afghan colleagues in the media. They have been the true heroes in covering this conflict. We foreign media have come here over the years, we get our job done and then we go.
But they continued their work even when Afghanistan ceased to be news, pointing out the atrocities of the insurgents and exposing corruption in the government. They have paid a high price, many have been threatened, kidnapped, attacked, and some have even been killed.
The situation in Afghanistan has such a powerful impact on so many people – humanitarian workers, military, media, diplomats – in part because we all witnessed the rebirth of a nation two decades ago and now we are seeing its unfolding before our eyes. destruction.
From The Independent From great britain. Special for Page12
Translation: Celita Doyhambéhère
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