President Biden was surprised at the speed of the collapse, but asserted he stood ‘squarely behind his decision’ and ‘cannot and will not ask US troops to fight another country’s war’. Fair enough, though 6 previous President’s saw it differently.
Taliban leaders
Apparently 400,000 Afghani troops were well trained, with greatly larger numbers than the Taliban and had been provided by all the things they needed to fight. But they crumbled very quickly.
The Afghani president had quit, saying he did this to avoid bloodshed. Certainly protecting his own blood, but just possibly the Taliban have a more generous approach than 20 years ago. The standard view is that the Afghani army lacked morale and one could hardly fail to think that members, especially the senior officers, were protecting severe blood loss by not fighting. Corruption cannot be overlooked also.
The UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, has said there have been ‘chilly reports’ over severe restraints in Afghanistan and is particularly concerned about human rights of women and girls.
(It is a fashionable approach, with people in New South Wales, Victoria and various other places in Australia suffering from less severe but ridiculous human rights – eg no meetings with friends or relatives, even if both parties have been 'double vaxxed', 9 PM to 5 AM curfew, no wandering around during the day, though one hour for ‘exercise’ is allowed.)
I heard an apparently senior member of the Taliban leadership group giving response to questions by a brave journo. Three I recall were:
· Will you let girls go to school? ('Er, … for some limited time.')
· Will women be able to dress as they wish? (‘They have to wear the Hijab but do not have to wear the Burka.’)
· Will women be made to marry Taliban men? (‘Er … No comment.')
Another source was ‘Yalda Hakim, whose family fled Afghanistan on horseback when she was a baby before settling in Australia in the mid-1980s, kept her poise when Suhail Shaheen dialled her mobile phone while she was conducting an interview.
‘She quickly switched gears, transferred Shaheen to a loudspeaker and peppered the rep with questions as the as the Taliban declared victory in Kabul 20 years after being removed from power by US-led forces.
“OK, we have got the Taliban’s spokesman Shail Shaheen on the line. Mr. Shaheen, can you hear me?” the Australian journalist said.
After confirming that he could hear her, Shaheen launched into a speech in which he promised “peace” in the war-ravaged country.
“There should not be any confusion, we are sure the people of Afghanistan in the city of Kabul, that their properties and their lives are safe. There will be no revenge on anyone. We are the servants of the people and of this country,” he said.
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Here is another, more complete account.
(If this does not work, copy it off this page and put it on google.)
Kulture
In the midst of so much tragedy and miss-handling, Fiona Prior explores love. More here How do I love thee? (henrythornton.com)