A Farewell to Kabul

For 2 decades, the contentious question “What exactly is the USA doing in Afghanistan?” has sparked hot debate, garnering varied responses depending on who’s asked. Some allege the United States is heroically quashing malignant terrorism within its breeding grounds, valiantly safeguarding the world from another 9/11. Others challenge their presence in Afghanistan, claiming it a thinly veiled attempt to procure power in the oil-rich Middle East, littered with war-crimes and unjustified aggression. Regardless, this lengthy and ferociously bloodstained chapter of US history is approaching an end.

Infamously, cataclysmic terrorist attacks upon the New York World Trade Center in 2001 established Afghanistan as a hotbed for US Military activity. A war on terror had begun. Presidents were authorized to use all necessary force in holding those accountable, a power initially aimed toward vanquishing Al-Qaeda. Since then, 241,000 lives have been claimed in the sweltering sandy warzones of Afghanistan and Pakistan, almost half being innocent civilians murdered by both US forces and terror organisations. After 2 trillion dollars exhausted, millions of refugees displaced and a dangerously turbulent environment created, the Taliban remain an infectious influence over many provinces. Alas, on April 13th President Biden publicly pledged the withdrawal of all 2500 American and 10,000 NATO troops from those war-ravaged dunes, by the 20th anniversary of a defining catastrophe. September 11th.

After arduous negotiations between President Trump and the Taliban in early 2020, drastically amending US foreign policy has engaged varied reactions. On the surface, Biden is courageously terminating a tremendous liability which has toppled the USA in dead soldiers and debt. Yet underneath, trouble brews. Aside from supposed sacrilege in betraying the strict policy of no negotiation with terrorists, this retreat resembles a symbolic waving of the white flag, leaving the Taliban reigning supreme. Extremism runs rife among the population, burrowing through local towns and grappling onto innocents with an iron grip of fear. Without US military support, the Taliban will likely make gains on the explosive battlefields, impossible to restrain by the Afghan government alone. A perilous power struggle is predicted to ensue, possibly consuming the battered country and threatening border security of neighboring nations.

Prominent advocate of US intervention and former Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton defines this predicament as a “wicked problem”, where both decisions to depart or linger will create considerable consequences. To combat arising disputes, Joe Biden has promised continuous funding for the Afghan Armed Forces, providing intelligence weaponry in hopes to alleviate their burdensome responsibility. Already, the Taliban has elevated pressure on the Afghan government, causing suspicions that mass insurrection may materialize. The USA is not exempt from danger, with the Taliban promising great ramifications if American personnel remain beyond the deadline. Marine Corps Generals have expressed concern for the Afghan military, whose influence may rapidly crumble facing 60,000 active Taliban fighters. As the scorching summer sun and relentlessly brutal desert begin cracking skin, immeasurable risk awaits for all…

Once a blooming society where rich tradition elegantly harmonized with modernisation, prosperity in Afghanistan has now become a bizarre concept, suffocated by the brutally oppressive Taliban. In attempting to subdue terrorism, the USA only accelerated decay, leaving Afghanistan’s potential as fractured as the shredded buildings they bomb. After years, Biden’s announcement could be a compelling step away from this seemingly unbreakable cycle of relentless airstrikes and heartbreaking funerals. As troops perch on high alert and the lengthiest American war shutters closed, time will cement the fate of Afghans: a fatal civil war or long-awaited salvation.

Manaal Khan 11B