Taliban are back – what next for Afghanistan?
Back in 2001, the US was responding to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington, in which nearly 3,000 people were killed. Officials identified Islamist militant group al-Qaeda, and its leader Osama Bin Laden, as responsible. Bin Laden was in Afghanistan, under the protection of the Taliban, the Islamists who had been in power since 1996. When they refused to hand him over, the US intervened militarily, quickly removing the Taliban and vowing to support democracy and eliminate the terrorist threat.
20 years later, the Taliban overswept the country. The group completed their shockingly rapid advance across the country by capturing Kabul on 15 August. It comes after foreign forces announced their withdrawal following a deal between the US and the Taliban, two decades after US forces removed the militants from power in 2001. The conflict has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced millions.
Taliban officials insist that they will fully adhere to the US deal and prevent any group from using Afghan soil as a base for attacks against the US and its allies. They say they aim only to implement an “Islamic government” and will not pose a threat to any other country. Taking into consideration of the historical, political, societal, and economical factors, what exactly will be the future of Afghanistan?
Read more on: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-49192495