The War in Afghanistan

30 September 2021

After 20 years, Afghanistan has once again been taken over by the Taliban. The Taliban are a terrorist group that follows strict Islamic rules; for example that men must have a beard and women must to cover their entire bodies in public. Women are forbidden from an education, and listening to music and watching TV are banned.

The Afghanistan war first began when, on September 11th, 2001, 2 terrorist planes crashed into the twin towers in New York city, killing thousands. The US President, George Bush, began a mission to capture the perpetrator of the attack, Osama bin Laden, and asked help from other countries to attack Afghanistan (the country sheltering him). On October 7th, they attacked Afghanistan in Operation Enduring Freedom. They arrested Osama bin Laden and killed him on May 2nd, 2011. Armies and humanitarian forces from America and other countries remained in Afghanistan to attempt to build up their country, set up an efficient government and train their army.

However, on May 14th, 2021, Joe Biden held a speech and said “It's time to end America's longest war. It's time for the American troops to come home.” Other countries who helped in Afghanistan told their people to withdraw too. Joe Biden also said he would withdraw his last troops by September 11th, and that brings us to where we are now.

Within 48 hours after the American troops left, the Taliban succeeded in conquering Afghanistan. On August 11th, they took over Kabul, the capital, so becoming the rulers of Afghanistan. Though the Taliban itself issued messages claiming that they aren’t going to be as strict as they were before, most people don’t believe them.

A lot of Afghan civilians tried to escape Afghanistan, but while some of them were lucky, others, in desperation, held on to the wings of American airplanes as they took off. This shows how hopeless the people of Afghanistan, who truly hoped for change, are now, under Taliban rule.

Louise Krijthe