Afghanistan falls to the Taliban: President Ashraf Ghani fled, thousands of people reach Kabul airport to desperately evacuate

Afghanistan falls to the Taliban: President Ashraf Ghani fled, thousands of people reach Kabul airport to desperately evacuate [Courtesy: Reuters]

Afghanistan’s atmosphere turned into sheer helplessness of people when the government of Afghanistan collided with the return of the Taliban after U.S. President Joe Biden's announcement to withdraw American troops from Afghanistan by September 2021. The power was transferred to the Taliban in less than 24 hours after Afghan president Ashraf Ghani fled bringing an end to a two-decade campaign in which the U.S. and its allies tried to transform Afghanistan.

A brief history of Taliban

A brief history of Taliban [Courtesy: Nur Photo]

Taliban emerged as the extreme Islamist group from Afghanistan in August 1994. They are made of the former Afghan resistance fighters, collectively known as ‘Mujahedeen’, who fought the invading Soviet forces in the 1980s. The Taliban aims to remove any kind of foreign influences from their state and inculcate strict Islamic culture and rules. It is an extremist Islamist group that restricts the growth and development of the country seizing all the human rights from people which will cause a concern on a world level.

The Taliban were removed from power in Afghanistan by the US-led forces in 2001, but the group has been acting oppressively for the past few months. After, the announcement of the withdrawal of the American troops Taliban has been trying to recapture Afghanistan. Taliban started by occupying the northern city of Afghanistan, then they moved towards the major provinces in the state. Last week they captured a radio station in Kandahar and renamed it to the 'voice of sharia, or Islamic law'. They said the employees will be broadcasting news, political analysis, and recitations of the Quran. Music is officially banned. Towards the end of the last week, the Taliban captured the western, northern, and southern provinces of Afghanistan and they moved towards Kabul the capital of the state.

Taliban’s return to Afghanistan led to an intense fear among the people of the nation

Taliban’s return to Afghanistan led to an intense fear among the people of the nation [Courtesy: Reuters]

Taliban took over Afghanistan on August 15, 2021, and successfully removed the foreign forces from Afghanistan. They also declared the end of the war because they captured the presidential palace in Kabul. Witnessing the terrible situation in Afghanistan U.S. calls back their members from their embassy there. The situation is terrible out there in Afghanistan as they have begun to implement their strict rules. Internet is flooded with the visuals of the Kabul airport where the airport is seen to be overcrowded with the Afghan nationals in an attempt to evacuate themselves.

The situation in Kabul is going beyond control thousands attempts to flee and evacuate themselves as the Taliban has taken over Afghanistan. U.S. troops fired warning shots as it became out of their capacity to manage the crowd, at least five people were killed. Commercial flights stand canceled because of the ongoing situation in Afghanistan. Chaos and uncertainty in and around Kabul. Afghan nationals protest against Biden outside the white-house says "you betrayed us". A woman outside the Afghan embassy in Delhi asked for the well-being of her family members in Afghanistan as the Taliban takes over.

A threat to freedom of Afghan women and children

A threat to freedom of Afghan women and children [Courtesy: AFP]

Taliban overpowering the Afghan government and seizing Afghanistan is a scary scenario for the world. "There are high chances that the terrorist group AL-Qaeda can come back to force," says a British official in an interview with the businessstandard.com. Taliban's control over Afghanistan is a threat to the developing country because the rules are strict and extremely Islamic. This is a threat to the future of Afghanistan because the Taliban has a history of oppressing women and girls so, the gains in the education sector will disappear overnight. Other strict Islamic rules will be imposed on the citizens which are women are restricted within their homes, they are deprived of education and employment, men are forced to keep beards, women need to follow the purdah system that is to be in full burqa. Music, movies, and foreign language or influence are restricted. The traditional way of living and dressing is encouraged.

Taliban's swift control over Afghanistan is because of the timed removal of US troops from Afghanistan with all the forces projected to be removed by September 2021. A Taliban regime could again become a safe haven for the extremists, as we have seen before that under this regime a multinational terrorist jihadi group AL-Qaeda was functioning leading to the terrorist attacks in U.S. and threats to the whole world. Taliban's refusal of handing over Osama Bin Laden is an unforgettable event. Taliban's control over Afghanistan is a threat to the state and its neighbors.

Author:

Pratiti Dhang

Ruchika Dubey