DISCLAIMER: The information in this post, was researched and has none of my opinions. The information was sourced from multiple articles,i.e Afghan articles and South African articles.
The Taliban have seized control of Afghanistan. A notorious group of terrorists known for their inflict of terror and panic, a group that ruled the nation for 5 years before the United States (US) intervened in 2001. This is after the US troops were withdrawn.
And despite the billions of money that the US provided in attempts to better the Afghanistan military, the local troops have offered little resistance in the face of the Taliban attack. The Afghan government, which was installed by the United States, has been deposed, with President Ashraf Ghani fleeing the nation. Because this year marks the twentieth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, which served as the catalyst for the US military invasion of Afghanistan, President Joe Biden declared in April of 2021 that all US and NATO forces would leave Afghanistan by September 11, 2021, a decision that was widely criticized, to which he stands by.
Left: US Soldiers leaving Afghan after the call of withdrawal. Credit: Express. co.uk https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1477092/Afghanistan-news-Kabul-falls-Taliban-control-map-British-ambassador-evacuation-airport-lat
The Taliban forces entered the capital of Kabul on August 15th. This effectively ended the 20-year effort made by the US and other Western nations to remodel Afghanistan as a modern democracy. Plagued by desertion and losing their air cover, the Afghan government was vulnerable to the Taliban attack which quickly expanded its footprint before taking the remaining cities, including Kabul.
Their arrival in the capital was met with panic and the Afghans, who have collaborated with Western armed forces or organizations, flocked to Hamid Karzai International Airport hoping to get out of the country. Afghans and Westerners stranded in Kabul began trickling into the airport for evacuation, although admission was difficult due to Taliban fighters stationed at checkpoints and a lack of a defined mechanism for bringing people in.
Because 9/11 mastermind Osama Bin Laden was protected by the Taliban and utilized Afghanistan as a recruiting ground, the US operation in Afghanistan was justified. However, since the assassination of Osama Bin Laden on May 2, 2011, the US presence in Afghanistan has been a thorn in the side of succeeding American presidents. In 2013, polls found it to be the most unpopular war in US history, surpassing the Vietnam War.
The United States could not continue to station soldiers in Afghanistan indefinitely. Apart from its lack of popularity, the conflict has been extremely costly, both financially and in terms of lives lost. Around 2,300 US personnel have died there, but that number pales in comparison to the estimated number of Afghans dead or wounded: at least half a million.
Credit: The Telegraph
The concern is that the Taliban's restoration to power will lead to the resurgence of other groups, such as al-Qaeda, who will use Afghanistan as a base from which to launch operations, turning the country into "a breeding ground for terror," as British Prime Minister Boris Johnson described it.
Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia were the only countries to recognize a Taliban-led government in the past, but China now has relations with Taliban commanders, adding to the situation's complexity. For the time being, the United Nations has committed to keeping its offices in Afghanistan open. It's crucial to remember that present circumstances in Afghanistan are not at all the fault of regular Afghans, as the country has long been treated as a punching bag by foreign armies.
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