The dark day when Kabul fell

topic:	Political violence
located:	Afghanistan
editor:	Shadi Khan Saif

Today, Afghanistan is a totally different country than it was just weeks ago - a much more devastated and uncertain country.

The world witnessed the sheer panic at the Kabul airport of so many war-weary young Afghans - the cream of society - who risked all they had, including their lives, as, in despair, they clung onto US military planes flying out of the shattered country.

At the airport, the scenes were apocalyptic - as if a colossal brutality had descended upon the city with an imminent threat of death for all, resulting in an anxious rush towards the only available exit.

Under such circumstances, the defaming and shaming of victims, in this case the common Afghans clinging to flying airplanes, is utterly appalling to say the least since they did not act out of stupidity, but out of instinctive fear from threat of survival. In fact, the common men and women of this country - who have borne the brunt of senseless wars for decades - knew that the fall of the Afghan government and the return to power of the Taliban would not mean an end to their miseries, but would be just a continuation of them in a different form.

This has happened simply due to the hostile regional powers’ keen desire to secure their strategic and economic interests at the cost of the Afghan people and their state, while global powers, who were more keen on flexing their muscles here, have turned the country into a wrestling arena.

It gives the Afghan people every right to criticise and condemn first the invasion of their country by foreign powers, who then rushed to abandon it, leaving the country in disarray; and second - and more painfully - the shutting of doors in this treacherous and deadly way on the very people who the global powers were meant to protect.

So, where does Afghanistan stand now? Well, state institutions are literally idle as officials, particularly women too scared to go to work, flee the nation out of fear for their lives.

Human rights groups have been reporting that the humanitarian situation continues to worsen in Afghanistan, as organisations are asked to swiftly address disruptions to shipments of medical supplies and equipment to alleviate needs at healthcare facilities.

Right now is the moment to open hearts and homes to those fleeing the rages of war and those still stranded inside Afghanistan.

Image by: Mohammad Rahmani

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