Background
U.S. President Joe Biden announced that all American troops would be withdrawn from Afghanistan by September 11, 2021; 20 years after Al-Qaeda attacked the United States. However, the U.S. draw down is seen by many as a mistake and has the potential to significantly empower the Taliban. In fact, the Taliban has captured swaths of territory in Afghanistan over the past few months, and the government has proved to be unsuccessful in countering the armed militants.
Biden’s draw down of troops can be viewed as accepting failure against the Taliban. After 20 years and trillions of dollars spent, America was unable to defeat the militia and create a safe, democratic country free of armed militants; instead, the Taliban is rapidly seizing towns and causing havoc. The U.S. set a goal where zero troops would be in Afghanistan by September 11, and as the exit continues, the Taliban claims to have captured 85% of Afghan territory; however, many believe that this number is exaggerated and is part of their “propaganda machine.”
Taliban Control
According to “Long War Journal,” the Taliban controls roughly 54% of Afghan districts. Ever since Biden announced the draw down, Taliban militants have successfully captured territory and key border sites as they squeeze in on Kabul. Just this week the Taliban announced that they took control of a crucial border crossing with Pakistan, which shows the rapid success of the militants in a short period of time. Neighboring countries fear regional instability as Taliban fighters loom on the borders with Iran and Pakistan. At the beginning of the draw down in early May, the Taliban controlled 78 districts; now; they control 223 districts, with many more cities under a “high threat” from the militia. Horrifying videos have been circulating of an Afghan Special Forces unit being executed by the Taliban, while one bystander begs them not to shoot. Meanwhile, many Afghans have surrendered to the Taliban and quickly found themselves under the control of a rogue militant group.
Peace Talks and The Humanitarian Crisis
Dozens of civilians have been killed, and an overwhelming amount of people are taken to the hospital each day as Afghans are caught in between crossfire. Ahead of the Eid holiday, the Taliban offered a 3 month ceasefire in exchange for the release of 7,000 prisoners, and the removal of their leaders from the UN blacklist. Such deals have been done before, like when the Afghan government released close to 5,000 prisoners last year, leading to peace talks in Doha. The departure of U.S. and NATO troops from Afghanistan also highlights the new Biden administration’s keenness on shifting its focuses. Biden is prioritizing issues with China, Russia, and Iran since he believes these countries pose more of a threat to US security than the Taliban.
Unfortunately, the ones who are experiencing the worst of the U.S. draw down are the Afghan people. Women suffer the most under Taliban control as their rights are completely stripped, and they are often the subject of extreme violence. The U.S. is abandoning the Afghan people and handing them over to a militia known for committing gruesome atrocities. The American failure in Afghanistan shares similarities to other countries in the Middle East where the US agenda did not succeed, like in Iraq. Both states are under the control of armed militants, and the U.S. goal of providing democracy and stability to these countries has been a complete failure.
Teymour Nsouli – has written extensively on Middle Eastern affairs and has had many articles published on a variety of platforms.
