Taliban strikes back - 18th August 2021

In Afghanistan, the Taliban have regained control of the country 20 years after being ousted. After capturing the key eastern city of Jalalabad, they entered the capital of Kabul, meeting with no resistance.

The scale and speed of the Taliban advance has shocked Afghans and the US-led alliance which invaded Afghanistan in the wake of the 2001 9/11 attacks.

The Afghan government under President Ashraf Ghani had expected to negotiate an agreement with the Taliban. However, the advance was so fast that the president fled the country, leaving the capital vulnerable to attacks.

The Taliban had ruled Afghanistan for the five years previous to 2001 and enforced a strict interpretation of Sharia law. They banned women’s education, their freedom to be outside without a male relative and enforced the wearing of the burqa. Public executions and traditional punishments were inflicted on all those deemed to have committed a crime against Islamic law.

Many fear that this strict regime will be enforced again and that there will be retribution against anyone who has worked with the allied forces, including interpreters. This has led many to head to the airport in the hope of leaving the country.

Thousands of American and British troops have now been sent to the airport. They are assisting the evacuation of foreign nationals and embassy staff. However, there are fears that not all those who have been promised safe passage abroad will be able to leave, due to the speed of the Taliban take over. Embassies are closed and foreign governments’ priority is to get their own staff out as quickly as possible.