What’s Going On In Afghanistan?

The world is full of news. Some of the news is great, like when sports events unfold and when we as people can watch it, and the athletes can perform, not to mention everybody involved, like managers, coaches, punters, bookmakers. 

On the other hand, some of the news is really bad. For example, when we read about Afghanistan, we can only see pain and sadness, with glimmers of hope in between. Why is Afghanistan like that, and what is the story behind it? Let us look at the recent history of Afghanistan to be able to understand what is going on at the moment.

9/11 – A Tragic End and a Beginning

After the tragic events of September 11, 2001, when the World Trade Center fell, after two planes were crashed into each of the two skyscrapers. One plane was crashed into the Pentagon and the fourth plane fell near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

The only reason that plane fell there was because the passengers fought the four people who hijacked the plane. The target of the fourth plane was suspected to be either the Capitol or the White House.

Given the colossal size of the attack and the loss of life, immediately and years after from all the inhaled toxins, the US launched an invasion on Afghanistan after the Taliban government denied the request to extradite Osama Bin Laden, the brain behind the attack. The invasion began on October 4, 2001.

Current Day Events – The End of the War

Since Osama Bin Laden’s death in 2011, the US decided that they should start bringing their war effort in Afghanistan to an end. On September 30, 2021, the last of the US troops were removed from Afghanistan, which marked the end of the war, the longest one in the history of the United States.

The Taliban declared their victory and occupied Kabul. The former Islamic Republic of Afghanistan’s president, Arsharf Ghani, fled the country on August 15, 2021. The Taliban captured Kabul immediately after he fled the country, on the same day.  Even though a peace treaty was signed, the Taliban immediately changed things around the country, and not for the better.

What is Going On at the Moment?

The Taliban control most of the country and are going door-to-door, looking for people they suspect were working with the Western governments, despite their assurances that the people would be safe. Women and girls are particularly in danger, because all women were removed from power and all women’s rights movements and administrations were put to a stop.

Most Afghans are looking for a way to flee the country, illegally, through smugglers and other methods.

Malnourishment, poverty and a lack of shelter are plaguing Afghanistan at the moment, not to mention violence by the Taliban.

Afghanistan is a country that has been rattled, destroyed and ravaged by war for the past 20 years and at the moment, things are not looking up. With the Taliban behind the wheel, a rule that disregards human rights and women’s rights, the situation is far from good, with many Afghans looking for a way to escape.