Afghanistan 8/16/21 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 US puppet regime in Afghanistan. It is
reported that Afghan
President Ashraf Ghani fled the country with four cars and a helicopter full
of cash. Taliban
fighters in the Presidential Palace in Kabul Perhaps we were not
prepared for the rapid fall of the US supported Afghan government and forces because
we have not been told the truth throughout the 20-year occupation and war.
The US 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 US 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 US 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 US occupation and 72% for the population lived at
or below the poverty level. In a survey reported by the Associated Press
in January 2020, only
33% of the people surveyed wanted the US to stay in their country. In
another poll, 80% 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 US tour for Malalai Joya. The US was never in
Afghanistan to fight terrorism or to bring a better life for the Afghan people,
they were there to install a pro-US 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 US 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 US 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
US 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 US intervention. |