The Middle East Program 8/16/2021
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The Middle East Program
8/16/2021
Afghan Civilians trying to flee from the Taliban at Kabul Airport - Photo Credit zeenews.india.com
Suravi Kumar
The Eurasia Center, Middle East Program
www.eurasiacenter.org
www.eurasianbusiness.org
Military helicopters on the tarmac of the military airport in Kabul. Photo Credits: Wakil Kohsar/AFP
The Failure of US Foreign Policy Continues
Since the United States invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, the country has been in a state
of constant conflict and has become a breeding ground for terrorists and extremist groups.
When President Biden announced he was moving ahead by withdrawing the United States
military out of Afghanistan, the Taliban had been able to seize territory at a dangerously rapid
rate. Without the military support from the United States, the Afghani Government and
military became vulnerable to Taliban attacks. The Taliban gained control of many of the key
cities that were once in control of the U.S.-backed Afghani government with little to no
pushback from the Afghan government forces as some regional commanders and officials in
different provinces negotiated surrender for monetary payments, offering little resistance to the
Taliban. Now with Kabul under Taliban control, it seems that the nation will soon revert to the
conditions they had once faced under Taliban control. Biden’s move to pull troops out of
Afghanistan has further propelled the country into the complete control of the Taliban. It is no
secret; Afghanistan’s Western-supported Government has collapsed, as President Ashraf Ghani
escaped to Tajikistan.
The US left Iraq during the Obama Administration, and the US forces had to return
because of the creation of ISIS. Now with Afghanistan under Taliban control, there may be a
resurgence of either ISIS or Al Qaeda, as the Taliban will provide covert support for Al Qaeda.
After 9/11: Invading Afghanistan
Before the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, the Taliban governed Afghanistan
with an iron fist for nearly a decade.1 The Taliban is a Pashtun Islamic fundamentalist group
consisting of Afghan mujahideen and Pashtun tribesmen educated in Pakistani madrassas, or
Islamic schools.2 Originally, the Taliban, along with other mujahideen tribes, were supported by
the CIA and the Pakistani intelligence agency, ISI, to ensure that the Soviet Union would be
unsuccessful in establishing a communist regime in Afghanistan.3 However, once the Soviet-
Afghan war was over, the United States disengaged from Afghanistan, leaving the mujahideen
groups to fight amongst themselves. During the 1990s, the Taliban quickly rose to power and
gained control of most of Afghanistan by crushing other warring tribes. The Taliban had
controlled nearly 90% of Afghanistan before being overthrown by the US and US supported
1 https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/taliban-afghanistan
2 Ibid
3 Ibid
forces in 2001.4 As the new ruling power in Afghanistan, the Taliban had implemented an
extreme form of Islamic fundamentalist Sharia law, which had warped the message of peace and
tolerance that Islam teaches. Under Taliban rule, women especially were extremely oppressed;
they were not allowed to work, attend school, or even leave their homes without being
accompanied by a male relative.5 Those who broke the law were subjected to inhumane
punishments like public stoning, flogging, and maiming of limbs.6 While the United States was
growing cautious of the Taliban, they chose to stay out of Afghanistan’s domestic affairs as it did
not serve their interests. That was until the 9/11 attacks, when Al-Qaeda operatives hijacked
and crashed two planes into the World Trade Center in New York City, a plane into the
Pentagon in Washington, D.C., and a fourth plane that was aimed at the White House or
Congress but crashed in a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.7
September 11th, Attack of the Twin Towers, Photo Credits: Steven James Silva/ReutersHouse
4 Ibid
5 https://feminist.org/our-work/afghan-women-and-girls/the-taliban-afghan-women/
6 https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2013/11/afghanistan-reject-stoning-flogging-amputation-and-
other-taliban-era-punishments/
7 https://www.cfr.org/timeline/us-war-afghanistan
Though none of the hijackers were of Afghan nationality, Al-Qaeda was operating out of
Afghanistan with the support of the Taliban.8 And when the Taliban refused to hand over
Osama Bin Laden, the mastermind behind the 9/11 attacks, as well as other Al-Qaeda
commanders to the United States, it gave then-President George W. Bush enough reason to
launch Operation Enduring Freedom and invade Afghanistan in October 2001.9 By December of
2001, Bin Laden and other top Al-Qaeda commanders fled to Pakistan and remained under
Pakistani protection until he was killed by U.S. forces in May of 2011.10 The Taliban was
overthrown and retreated to Pakistan, where they’ve led an insurgency against the newly
imposed Afghan government since.11
Getting Out of Afghanistan
The Afghan force-building exercise was so completely dependent on American largesse
that the Pentagon even paid the Afghan troops' salaries. Too often that money, and untold
amounts of fuel, were siphoned off by corrupt officers and government overseers who cooked
the books, creating “ghost soldiers” to keep the misspent dollars coming.
Of the approximately $145 billion the U.S. government spent trying to rebuild
Afghanistan, about $83 billion went to developing and sustaining its army and police forces,
according to the Office of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, a
congressionally created watchdog that has tracked the war since 2008. The $145 billion is in
addition to $837 billion the United States spent fighting the war, which began with an invasion
in October 2001.
8 Ibid
9 https://www.nytimes.com/article/afghanistan-war-us.html
10 https://www.cfr.org/timeline/us-war-afghanistan
11 https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/taliban-afghanistanThe $83 billion invested in Afghan forces over 20 years is nearly double last year's
budget for the entire U.S. Marine Corps and is slightly more than what Washington budgeted
last year for food stamp assistance for about 40 million Americans.
In his book, “The Afghanistan Papers,” journalist Craig Whitlock wrote that U.S. trainers
tried to force Western ways on Afghan recruits and gave scant thought to whether U.S.
taxpayers’ dollars were investing in a truly viable army.
After spending nearly two decades fighting the Taliban, the United States had finally
decided to pull all remaining troops out of Afghanistan and end their active participation in the
nation. This move to slowly pull troops out of Afghanistan started with former President
Donald Trump announcing that thousands of troops will be pulled out of Afghanistan by
January 15, 2021.12 The Trump administration had aimed to pull all service members out of
Afghanistan by May of 2021, effectively ending U.S. participation in Afghanistan.13 On April 14,
President Joe Biden announced that they would not make the May deadline, but instead
announced that “U.S. troops, as well as forces deployed by our NATO Allies and operational
partners, will be out of Afghanistan before we mark the 20th anniversary of that heinous attack
on September 11th.”14
By withdrawing the last 2,500 token force of US troops, out of a possible reserve of three
million US troops worldwide, the US signaled it was continuing the “America First Policy” of
Donald Trump, “Cut and Run.” In addition to their withdrawal, 16,000 contactors and seven
thousand Allied troops would also exit. It may also be noted that the US never fully trained
12 https://www.npr.org/2020/11/17/935979468/trump-administration-wants-all-u-s-troops-out-of-iraq-and-
afghanistan-by-spring
13 Ibid
14 https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2021/04/14/remarks-by-president-biden-on-
the-way-forward-in-afghanistan/Afghan troops to fight independently but rather as appendages of the main US fighting forces in
Afghanistan.
However, some have concerns regarding the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan,
including the congressionally chartered Afghanistan Study Group, who maintain that pulling
troops too early would enable the Taliban to turn Afghanistan into a “haven for terrorists” once
again and “could lead to a reconstitution of the terrorist threat to the U.S. homeland”.15 Despite
these worries of the Taliban regaining control, Biden has continued to move forward with his
plan of removing all troops by September 11th, stating that a Taliban takeover is “highly
unlikely.”16
Afghanistan Right Now
Since Biden has announced and pushed the withdrawal of U.S. troops, the Taliban began
swiftly gaining territory that they had lost during the Afghanistan War. And despite the growing
security concerns, Biden has adamantly defended his plan to have all troops out of Afghanistan by
September, reinforcing the fact that “no amount of sustained American presence there could resolve
the country’s own intractable problems.”17 Many officials, including members of Congress and
military commanders warned that without the military support of the United States, the Afghan
government will weaken and will not be able to defend itself against the Taliban.18 Unfortunately,
these warnings and worries concerning the fate of Afghanistan are now a reality. For months, the
Taliban has been getting more powerful and has been closing in on major cities all over
Afghanistan.19 As of August 13th, the Taliban had taken control of half of Afghanistan’s provincial
15 https://www.cfr.org/in-brief/biden-afghanistan-troop-withdrawal-september-11
16 https://www.npr.org/2021/07/08/1014178656/as-u-s-troops-leave-afghanistan-biden-is-set-to-explain-
what-happens-now
17 https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/08/politics/biden-afghanistan-speech/index.html
18 Ibid
19 https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/15/world/asia/taliban-afghanistan.htmlcapitals with ease.20 Without the intelligence and military support from the United States, the Afghan government forces became extremely weak and were unable to keep control of their districts with many of the local leaders negotiating with the Taliban for surrendering their regional provinces for payments. In early July, U.S. troops departed the Bagram Air Base, a key U.S. military base, effectively ending vital U.S. military operations.21 This pivotal move gave an enormous advantage to the Taliban, allowing them to proceed in retaking control of provinces without fear of U.S. military operations against them. The Taliban’s powerful military campaign has pushed the Afghan government forces to retreat and surrender important districts that were brought under their control during the war, especially in the northern region.22 During the first two weeks of August, the Taliban was able to take numerous cities of strategic importance, including Kandahar, Ghazni, Jalalabad, and Herat.23 20 https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/13/asia/afghanistan-kandahar-falls-taliban-intl-hnk/index.html 21 https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/02/world/asia/afghanistan-bagram-us-withdrawal.html 22 https://www.nytimes.com/article/afghanistan-war-us.html 23 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-58184202
Map of Taliban vs. Government Control of Afghanistan as of August 15th24
On August 15th, the capital of Kabul fell into Taliban control, after President Ashraf
Ghani fled the country.25 The Taliban has taken control of the presidential palace, securing their
control over Afghanistan after nearly twenty years.26 The city is now in chaos as Afghanis and
non-citizens are frantically trying to flee Afghanistan. The United States is now rushing to
evacuate all their staff and diplomats out of the embassy and out of Afghanistan, sending 1,000
troops to secure the Hamid Karzai International Airport to allow for a swift and safe
evacuation.27
24 https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2021/07/nearly-half-of-afghanistans-provincial-capitals-under-
threat-from-taliban.php
25 https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/08/15/world/taliban-afghanistan-news
26 https://www.cnn.com/world/live-news/afghanistan-taliban-us-troops-intl-08-15-21/index.html
27 https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/15/politics/us-embassy-kabul-afghanistan/index.htmlA U.S. helicopter flies over Kabul. Photo Credits: Rahmat Gul/AP
The possibility of Afghanistan returning to the conditions it was in twenty years ago is now
tragically too real. A Taliban government poses high security risks and humanitarian issues for the
Afghani people, especially those who do not support the Taliban. As the violence increases,
thousands of Afghanis are fleeing their homes to Kabul and neighboring countries.28 The United
Nations has urged neighboring countries like Iran, Tajikistan, and Pakistan to keep their borders
open to allow the flow of Afghanis who are fleeing to continue.29 Under a potential Taliban rule, the
Afghani people will once again be living under an oppressive regime. It will set back the progress
made for women under the democratic Afghan government, and many women fear for their
freedom and safety as the Taliban retake control of Afghanistan. The international community also
28 Ibid
29 Ibidworries about the minorities living in Afghanistan currently, specifically the Hazara, Hindu, and
Sikh communities, who have been subjected to persecution by the Taliban for years. The Ministry
of External Affairs in New Delhi has been keeping track of the Hindu and Sikh minorities, stating
that they will “take necessary steps to ensure the safety of the Hindu and Sikh community members
in Afghanistan”.30 With the Taliban in complete control of Afghanistan, minorities are now worried
that the Taliban will restart their violent persecution. Neighboring countries like Turkmenistan,
Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan have increased their military presence and security at the border in
response to the increasing Taliban presence.31
India, along with other nations, has closed their consulates in Afghanistan and evacuated its
diplomats and citizens in response to the increasing violence.32 India is closely observing the
situation at hand, but will most likely stop sending much-needed aid to Afghanistan if the Taliban
successfully takes over.33 Despite being a strong supporter of the Afghani Taliban, recent
circumstances have caused the relationship between Pakistan and Afghanistan to fall apart.34 Many
blame Pakistan for Afghanistan’s current security issue as they played a huge role in supporting,
funding, and providing a safe haven for the Taliban in the past, allowing the Taliban to continue
thriving near the border.35 Afghanis have called for economic sanctions on Pakistan for aiding the
Taliban.36 Pakistan fears that worsening conditions in Afghanistan could potentially destabilize their
own country, with an increasing number of refugees crossing the border and a high possibility of a
30 https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/india-will-ensure-safety-of-afghan-hindus-and-sikhs-
mea/article35885095.ece
31 https://www.usip.org/publications/2021/07/central-asia-prepares-taliban-takeover
32 https://www.usip.org/publications/2021/08/india-pakistan-watch-warily-taliban-move-takeover
33 Ibid
34 Ibid
35 Ibid
36 https://thehill.com/opinion/international/567813-as-the-talibans-takeover-continues-the-world-calls-for-
sanctions-onresurgence of the Pakistani Taliban.37 The United States has evacuated its diplomatic personnel
from Afghanistan but nearly 5000 Americans remain in the country. Three thousand U.S. troops
have been deployed to help with the evacuation of diplomats as well as the relocation of Afghan
translators and those who worked with the U.S. military; however, the civilian airport withdrawal is
a complete catastrophe.38
A Taliban regime in Afghanistan poses great security concerns for the United States, as it
would allow for a terrorist threat to the United States to remerge. Along with the United States,
other foreign powers like the United Kingdom have only sent their troops to help with the
evacuation of their diplomats and other citizens in Afghanistan. As the Taliban secures complete
control of Afghanistan, it seems that the world has turned its back to the Afghan people, who now
are frantically trying to save themselves and their families. The international community has failed
Afghanistan by allowing the Taliban to retake control of Afghanistan, guaranteeing a large
humanitarian and security crises in the country. The US and allies may have to revisit Afghanistan
particularly if it becomes once again a haven for international terrorist groups. President Biden
remains adamant that his decision was right, but the consequences of that decision may prove him
wrong. The Taliban have now tried to moderate their stances in order to draw international support,
they have asked that women take a place in government, that none of the former military or
government officials would receive retribution, and they are willing to work with international
NGOs. Time will tell what the road ahead will look like for Afghanistan.
37 https://www.usip.org/publications/2021/08/india-pakistan-watch-warily-taliban-move-takeover
38 https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/12/_politics-zone-injection/us-afghanistan-embassy/index.htmlYou can also read
