Hardly accepted positive of the Afghan situation

All major news channels led by BBC, CNN and Al Jazeera, with local news channels chipping in sparingly, have been broadcasting grim news of the Taliban’s takeover of the entirety of Afghanistan and apparently so easily. Many were the opinions expressed by recognised students of the region and experts; even escaped and trapped ordinary Afghan people. The allied forces and particularly the United States were condemned to the extent of being villains of the debacle, if one may name the huge upheaval thus. ‘Another Saigon’ and ‘fleeing with tails between legs’ have been oft repeated phrases along with mention of the Iraqi and Libyan American instigated disasters. But this tiny living pebble – me – with admittedly limited knowledge, has been desirous of having recognition been given to the humanitarian steps taken by the allied forces who remained till the last in Kabul. The US has been in the forefront of airlifting thousands of Afghans who preferred evacuating and refugee status to living under Taliban rule which they foresee to be no better than previous Taliban regimes.

Here are brief statistics: The US flew out approx 110,000 by Monday August 30, of whom 105,000 were Afghans, the rest being armed services and embassy personnel. Britain’s last flight was on August 28 when they carried their own officers home, while they airlifted and carried to Britain more than15,000 Afghan citizens in two weeks. France airlifted 3,000 which included 2,600 Afghans while Germany helped with moving to safety 5,347 Afghans. Canada evacuated 4,800 Afghans, and Australia 3,454. Many other countries had embassies and /or aid organisations in Kabul and, while removing their officials, included Afghan refugees fleeing in the thousands. To mention a few of them: Italy, Switzerland, New Zealand. India. An Indian BBC woman reporter and senior BBC journalist Lyse Doucet were in Kabul relaying news even on August 31. The Allied Forces’ target was to remove 100,000 Afghans, mostly journos, activists, professionals and their families. (Note: figures given above from Internet were as on August 30)

Historical events

When Afghanistan’s past history is considered, there is no doubt interference by Americans mostly, ignited and kept afire troubles in the country. Let’s very briefly recap, with me referring to an article by John Pilger in Newsclick, August 27, 2021.

“In 1978, a liberation movement led by the People’s Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA) overthrew the dictatorship of Mohammad Daoud, the cousin of King Zahir Shah. It was an immensely popular revolution that took the British and Americans by surprise. Under the monarchy, life expectancy was 35; one in three children died in infancy. 90% of the population was illiterate. The new government introduced free medical care. A mass literacy campaign was launched. For women, the gains had no precedent; by the late 1980s, half the university students were women, and women made up 40% of Afghanistan’s doctors, 70% of its teachers and 30% of its civil servants.”

However the irritant for the US with the PDPA government was that it was supported by the Soviet Union. President Jimmy Carter’s Secretary of State, Cyrus Vance, later wrote in his memoirs: “We had no evidence of any Soviet complicity in the coup.” But Carter’s national security advisor, Brzezinski, a Polish émigré and fanatical anti-communist and moral extremist, advised caution and action. “In July 1979, unknown to the American people and Congress, Carter authorised a $500 million ‘covert action’ programme to overthrow Afghanistan’s first secular, progressive government. This was code-named by the CIA Operation Cyclone.

Zealots – the mujahedin recruited from all over the Muslim world, were trained in camps in Pakistan run by Pakistani intelligence, the CIA and Britain’s MI6. One of the recruits was a Saudi engineer called Osama bin Laden. The aim was to spread Islamic fundamentalism in Central Asia and destabilise and eventually destroy the Soviet Union.” The Soviets were driven away from Afghanistan and power went to the remaining mujahedin who named themselves the Taliban. Then the Americans began their battle against these terrorists, particular after 9/11.

The recent past from two decades ago

The West and Australia did much to raise Afghanistan and against the Taliban by providing troops, funds and personnel. During two decades they did modernise Afghanistan and protected human rights; women and girls benefited most. This fact has to be acknowledged. America made a terrible mistake with arming the mujahedin, but compensated with the three trillion dollars spent on reforming the mountain nation.

All the good work that Western governments and NGOs have done in the last 20 years may be nullified by the Taliban and other Islamic fundamentalists whom the West nurtured previously. Also the paradox: their efforts to educate girls, bring women into the workforce, provide rights and dignity to women have in all probability been wasted because the Taliban may negate all these advances and take Afghanistan back to the middle ages. And all the good work that Western governments and NGOs have done in the last 20 years may be cancelled out. Yes, a huge mistake was made in the past and sadly its consequences persist. This fact is summed up sardonically by the quote:

” Just remember the USA took four Presidents, thousands of lives, trillions of dollars and 20 years to replace Taliban with Taliban.”

Plaudits – a must

The U.S. military continued right up to the deadline – August 31, 2021 – agreed upon in the peace negotiation between the Taliban and the Afghan democratic government a month or two ago. With planes leaving every four hours from Kabul, notwithstanding a Taliban attack within the airport (29/8), evacuation of Americans (approx 5,400) plus Afghan citizens continued through August 31. International pleas were voiced to extend the deadline, but Biden refused to comply; the date having been set.

Thus the massive humanitarian effort of foreign nations continuing their presence in Kabul with the militants ever ready to attack, to take to safety Afghans who had worked in their embassies or aid organisations in Afghanistan. This should be acknowledged. The granting of refugee status in Western countries and knowing the Afghans would ultimately be absorbed into their citizenry is noteworthy, more so because the countries which have airlifted the most number are the ones who are inundated with refugees trying to get in, the majority being of the Islamic faith.