The Legacy of the Taliban in Afghanistan - A Study of Human Rights Violations, Civilian Suffering and Humanitarian Disaster in the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan

By Mark O'Doherty

The withdrawal of US forces in Afghanistan in 2021 has been touted as "the single most important factor" in triggering the collapse of the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF), according to an interim report by the United States government's leading oversight authority on Afghanistan reconstruction. Washington has spent nearly $90bn on the Afghan army since 2002 in its efforts to fight the Taliban armed rebellion. The Taliban regime was toppled from power in a US-led invasion in 2001 in the wake of the 9/11 attacks. The new report by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) points to decisions made by former US President Donald Trump and his successor Joe Biden as having precipitated the collapse of the Afghan army in August 2021 and the subsequent Taliban takeover. The US-Taliban agreement signed by the Trump administration in February 2020, by which Washington agreed to withdraw military forces and contractors from Afghanistan, "set in motion a series of events crucial to understanding the ANDSF's collapse", the report said. Following the deal, the US dramatically reduced the number of US air raids, leaving the ANDSF without a key advantage in keeping the Taliban at bay. This resulted in "a sense of abandonment within the ANDSF and the Afghan population". "Many Afghans thought the US-Taliban agreement was an act of bad faith and a signal that the US was handing over Afghanistan to the enemy as it rushed to exit the country," SIGAR concluded. As things stand, the US Government is failing to uphold America's moral obligation and commitment of protecting the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) in Afghanistan. Three million people have been displaced in Afghanistan so far, and thousands of civilians have been murdered by IS-K and Taliban extremists - killing human rights activists, journalists, judges and public figures - as well as perpetrating summary killings of former security forces. Furthermore, the UN estimates nearly 23 million Afghans - about 55 percent of the population - are facing extreme levels of hunger. Also, women are being increasingly hunted down and shot dead by Taliban extremists, who have perfected ways to infiltrate women's groups. Hence it's imperative that the International Community intervenes with more aggressive counter-terrorism capabilities and diplomatic measures; to prevent the killing of innocent civilians and children in Afghanistan - as stipulated by the UDHR.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0359544177
• ISBN13: 9780359544172
• Release Date: March 2019
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Length: 166 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 6.0" x 9.0"