By Zahraa Aslam
Staff Writer
Image source: nbcnews.com
Afghanistan is in danger again. The Taliban took control over Kabul on August 15th, 2021. This is the second time the Taliban has taken over. The first time the Taliban took over was from 1996 to 2001. They made sure women had little to no rights. Among the many constrictions, women were not able to go to school, they could not work or go out in public without a man escorting them, and they had to fully cover their bodies.
When the Taliban first took control, they caused the 9/11 attack. Now that the Taliban has taken over again, they changed up their rules. People cannot leave Afghanistan, women can learn, but only if they have a female teacher, and they have to go to an all-female school.
The people of Afghanistan don’t have a voice: if they speak up against the Taliban, they could be punished or even killed. Despite all that’s happening, the president of Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai, fled and left his people behind in danger, but he wasn’t the only one.
America has also withdrawn its forces against Afghanistan, and even Afghani citizens have tried to flee the country for the sake of their own and their family’s safety.
A few people commented on how they felt about America’s decision on withdrawing their forces.
Mrs. Hammes, an American Government teacher, commented, “I find it really fascinating to look back in history, even pre-9/11, and look at how the various events have contributed to what’s happening now. I think the withdrawal of troops will be an important part of the story. The 20th anniversary of 9/11 got me more interested in these events [during] this past year.”
Two sophomores also commented on this situation.
“I don’t really know how to feel. I’m anticipating the Taliban’s move since they will only negotiate if foreign troops depart from ‘their land.’ The U.S troops have been in Afghanistan for a while now, but I find Biden’s decision to withdraw troops to be reasonable,” commented Mang Hlawn Tail.
“I feel like [their leaving] is somewhat justified because they were fighting for 20 years, and over a thousand soldiers died,” commented Oluwagbnga Saka.
We don’t fully understand the intentions of the Taliban, but we do know that they don’t have any good ones. If the American military were to stay, they would also be hurting the people of Afghanistan instead of protecting them.
Sophomore Mang Hlawn Tail added, “At first I didn’t know how to process it because I forgot about the Taliban, but then I started to get anxious since they could be a big threat to America as well. I also felt bad for the citizens of Afghanistan since they must be the ones who are suffering the most right now.”
A lot of people are worried and frustrated with what’s happening in Afghanistan, especially Afghan Americans.
There was a recent protest held in Washington D.C. with more than 300 people protesting. They held up signs, some which read,“Help Afghan Kids” and “America betrayed us.” They held the protest outside the White House in an attempt to show President Biden their frustration and concern regarding the current situation in Afghanistan.
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