It's been one year since Western troops withdrew and abandoned Afghanistan.
During his administration, Trump made a deal with the Taliban - a known terrorist organization. As a result, in August 2021, the US (and NATO allies) withdrew its remaining troops from Afghanistan, officially bringing an end to the 20-year occupation of the country. This allowed the Taliban to take over the nation's capital, Kabul and led to the massive humanitarian crisis we're seeing today.
The Taliban is a terrorist group that works to militantly enforce extremist and fundamentalist ideals that they root in a literal and un-nuanced take on the Islamic faith (Islamophobia check: Islam isn't a monolith, this post isn’t an excuse to be islamophobic ).
Today, all of Afghanistan is under the control of the Taliban. 1 year ago, the US and other allied troops were able to retreat to the safety of their homes while Afghan citizens, including those who worked with Western troops, are left under Taliban rule, and are now experiencing the horrors of a country run by a violent, fundamentalist regime.
How did we get here?
Most people think the current situation in Afghanistan begins in 2001, after the events of 9/11. In reality, this war dates back much further, to Afghanistan being used as a proxy during the Cold War (1947-1991) between Russia and the U.S. We'll unpack that in a future post, but it's important to understand that the "war on terror" narrative doesn't begin to cover America's interest in and occupation of Afghanistan but for now let's fast forward to post-9/11.
After the al-Qaeda attack on US soil on Sept 11, the US and its NATO allies (including Canada) led a series of military operations in Afghanistan with the aim of capturing Osama bin Laden, removing the Taliban regime and defeating al-Qaeda who had created a strong base in the country. The US and its NATO allies, with the support of Afghan tribal leaders, toppled the Taliban regime. The majority of al-Qaeda terrorists were killed or forced to flee to Pakistan. In just a few months the US had achieved its goals, yet the war continued. The US would legally justify the ongoing invasion by calling it "self-defence"—but it's giving neocolonialism.
The US and NATO suggested that the war prioritized 'counterterrorism' and building democratic institutions, but in reality, the occupation stripped Afghanistan of its agency and turned it into a dependent state.
So why did the US leave?
Trump signed a deal with the Taliban (without including the Afghan government (?!?) ), involving the withdrawal of all US troops from the country in the following 14 months in exchange for the Taliban agreeing to end its attacks on the US and prevent al-Qaeda, ISIS and other terrorist groups from operating in Afghanistan. In addition, the Taliban agreed to start peace talks and a cease-fire with the Afghan government.
We have so many thoughts about this, but largely the Taliban is a terrorist organization that we know violates human rights —especially that of women. So after 20 years of American aggression, casualties, and billions of dollars, America decided to abandon Afghanistan because of a pinky promise from the Taliban?!
The popular narrative we're seeing in the media is "the Taliban broke its promise" —but of course they did? And we knew they would, they're the fucking Taliban. Also, to be clear, the Taliban violated this agreement before the troops had fully left. During the withdrawal of troops, the Taliban was forcibly taking over Afghanistan in direct contradiction to the pinky promise agreement. Yet the US and NATO decided to wash their hands of the situation.
Biden held up Trump's pinky promise with the Taliban
Trump's 2020 deal meant Biden had to decide between maintaining Trump's pinky promise or risking a direct, escalating war with the Taliban. In August 2021, President Joe Biden declared the U.S. withdrawal, claiming the US's military presence in Afghanistan was primarily for counterterrorism purposes, not nation-building or promoting democracy.
He stated that because America went into Afghanistan to defeat Al-Qaeda and eliminate Osama bin Laden, and accomplished both goals (literally within a few months), their continued presence in the region was no longer necessary.
The US has still not addressed the fact that the Taliban quickly ousted the Afghan government and took power for themselves, or how they essentially handed the reigns over to a known terrorist organization.
The Afghan people have been a causality of this entire situation, endured endless suffering over the past 20 years, and the withdrawal has left them to fend for themselves.
One year of Taliban Rule in Afghanistan
The Erosion of Women's Rights
After the US handed them power, the Taliban removed the basic rights and freedoms that protected Afghan women.
Since August 2021, thousands of girls have been banned from returning to secondary school, and have been forbidden from attending school past grade 6. The ability for Afghan women to work has been almost entirely removed, and when leaving their homes they are required by law to be escorted by a man. Strict dress codes have been implemented, and women's freedoms have been erased.
The Taliban has ensured that Afghan women are set up to rely on their husbands and fathers, they've infringed on some of the most basic of human rights, and removed every sense of autonomy that women previously had.
Just a year ago girls were still in school, and the withdrawal has given them no option but to live as subordinates.
Food insecurity
Afghanistan is facing severe food insecurity brought on by a drought and the country's worsening economic crisis. According to the World Food Programme, two million children in Afghanistan are malnourished, and Human Rights Watch estimates that 90% of households in Afghanistan don’t have enough food to sustain themselves.
Usually, when a country is experiencing such a crisis, food and monetary international aid are given to alleviate the situation. But strict sanctions have been placed on Afghanistan following the Taliban’s takeover. In July, two containers from Canada containing food headed to Afghanistan were seized because of these sanctions.
Canadian aid-based agencies in Afghanistan are prevented from distributing food due to a 2013 law that prohibits providing aid to anyone who deals with the Taliban, including those paying taxes or rent (which is literally every citizen). Those with the means to help are banned from doing so as a way to hurt the Taliban, but we're also allowing Afghan people to continue to suffer.
Healthcare System Collapse
Essential health care services are completely inaccessible. Most families can't afford medication or to see doctors due to the rapid rise of poverty and the severe economic crisis.
Access to healthcare services has become increasingly difficult since donor funding for the Sehatmandi programme has been withdrawn. The Sehatmandi programme is the backbone of Afghanistan’s health system, providing access to affordable healthcare for all. Without the programme, over 2000 health facilities have closed, leaving millions of Afghan citizens without access to basic healthcare.
Reduced access to healthcare compounds the effects of COVID, the worsening food insecurity, and raising poverty, all of which Afghan people are currently experiencing.
Since foreign (mostly Western) donors have refused to continue to fund the Sehatmandi programme, and aid workers have an extremely limited capacity to help, thousands of already vulnerable people are at risk of dying from entirely preventable issues.
Canada’s Response
The Government of Canada has promised to help with evacuations and resettle at least 40,000 Afghan refugees, via government-assisted programs or private sponsorship. Not only is the cap on the number of refugees super telling, but Canada also failed to meet this target and have quietly slowed down resettlements this year. In fact, 8000 Afghans who were approved to come to Canada have not been able to leave yet, and are trapped in Afghanistan.
While it isn't the exact same sort of relocating, it's still worth noting that we brought 17,300 Afghans to Canada, and since January we've helped relocate 71,800 Ukrainians. Um Canada, your racism is showing.
You'll notice most of the aid offered is centred around helping those who can leave (which is not something that most people can do). There are no political or diplomatic plans to help those who are currently living under Taliban rule.
TL;DR: Canada, along with the rest of the NATO, has left the people they were committed to protecting at the mercy of the Taliban.
We caused this, we're responsible.
The people of Afghanistan have been abandoned and left with the devastating consequences of a war that they had no part in creating. It was Western intervention that restarted and instigated this crisis in Afghanistan, caused horrific civilian casualties, created extreme poverty and caused countless atrocities.
The US and its allies have spent 20 years contributing to the current situation in Afghanistan, so it's on them—on us—to address the humanitarian crisis we've created. The West started this conflict. We owe the Afghan people more than just aid, we need to offer reparations and restitution for the needless violence we've created.
"The people of Afghanistan continue to suffer and live in inhuman conditions as the world turns a blind eye. You can help by keeping the conversation going and donating to trusted charities and organizations like Aseelapp" - Neelo M.
What can you do about this right now?
You can donate money to Afghan resettlement programs at https://www.afghanresettlement.ca/en/donate
You can volunteer at or donate to https://www.centrefornewcomers.ca/afghansupport
https://www.lifelineafghanistan.ca/
https://afghanwomen.org/
https://cw4wafghan.ca/home/
If you speak Dari or Pashto, you can contact your local settlement agency to find out which agencies in your area are coordinating support https://services.settlement.org/en/
You can help Afghan refugees by sponsoring them to come to Canada; https://www.rstp.ca/en/
You can join programs that match refugees with Canadian citizens or long-time community members to help them settle in their new community at https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/campaigns/canada-connects.html
If you live in the province of Quebec you can email AideRefugiesafghans@mifi.gouv.qc.ca to find out how you can support Afghan resettlement efforts in Quebec.
