Afghanistan Aftermath
Events are happening very fast in the world today but perhaps none faster than the rapid advance of the Taliban and the fall of the U.S. puppet regime in Afghanistan. It is reported that Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fled the country with four cars and a helicopter full of cash.
Perhaps we were not prepared for the rapid fall of the U.S. supported Afghan government and forces because we have not been told the truth throughout the 20-year occupation and war. The U.S. supposedly went into Afghanistan to capture Osama Bin Laden who they held responsible for the attacks on 9/11. The Taliban government said they would turn him over to an international court if shown proof of his involvement, but rather than do that, the U.S. attacked and occupied the country and turned the government over to a group of war lords from the Northern Alliance. That was supposed to bring democracy to Afghanistan. Twenty years later the Taliban has returned stronger than ever.
It has to be clear that the Taliban have a lot of support in Afghanistan because they took the entire country at lightning speed. They have no Air Force, no advanced weaponry or intelligence. The Taliban are not from outside the country, they are a homegrown movement. So why do they have such support? The answer is that they have been the main force in the country that has been resisting the occupation of the U.S. and its Western allies, and the Afghan people, like all people, do not like to be occupied. The last 20 years have been hell for the Afghan people. Around 240,000 have been killed, there have been massive numbers of drone strikes and bombings. Black sites for torture such as Bagram Air Base were created. Opium production skyrocketed under the U.S. occupation and 72 percent for the population lived at or below the poverty level. In a survey reported by the Associated Press in January 2020, only 33 percent of the people surveyed wanted the U.S. to stay in their country. In another poll, 80 percent of Afghans said they feel fear when encountering the foreign occupation forces.
There has been a lot of talk about the puppet government supporting women’s rights, but this is a sham. According to Afghan activist, Malalai Joya, speaking on Democracy Now in July, “the catastrophic situation of the women of Afghanistan was a very good excuse for U.S. and NATO to occupy our country. Unfortunately, they pushed us from the frying pan into the fire as they replaced the barbaric regime of the Taliban with the misogynist warlords… That’s why today millions of Afghans are suffering from insecurity, corruption, joblessness, poverty. And still, most of Afghan women are the victims.” Several years ago, the United National Antiwar Coalition (UNAC) organized a U.S. tour for Malalai Joya.
The U.S. was never in Afghanistan to fight terrorism or to bring a better life for the Afghan people, they were there to install a pro-U.S. government that would support their strategic political and military goals in the region including their aggression against China and Iran. Additionally, they wanted to get their hands on the vast mineral resources in Afghanistan. If the U.S. was interested in helping people in other countries, they would not be supporting despotic regimes such as those in Saudi Arabia, Haiti, Columbia, Israel, and many others.
Now that the U.S. has been defeated in Afghanistan, we can be sure that they will impose additional sanctions to make the people of that country suffer more and push for a regime change through which they can start the entire process over again. The continued U.S. bombing in areas that fell to the Taliban was responsible for the killing of many civilians causing people to flee and the destruction of schools and health centers. We must demand: No more bombing, remove all troops, mercenaries, and special forces from the country and the surrounding area, no sanctions, and pay reparations for the destruction caused by their war and occupation. The people of Afghanistan must find their own way free from U.S. intervention.
Joe Lombardo is an antiwar activist and coordinator of the United National Antiwar Coalition (UNAC).
—UNAC, August 16, 2021