By Otomewo Oritsejolomi Joshua.
No human will hang on to a plane except something on the ground is too dangerous for them. Afghanistan had become too dangerous for Zaki Anwari, a 19 year old footballer in the Afghan national team and so he held onto the wings of a US military plane in a bid to escape his country. Unfortunately his mission was unsuccessful as he fell to his death minutes after the plane took off.
After a 20 year period of fighting the US was finally leaving Afghanistan and the Taliban had taken over the country. Throughout last week social media buzzed with pictures and videos from Afghanistan, from the thousands of people struggling at the airport gates trying to get in and secure a flight out of the country to the mother who unable to get into the airport handed her baby over to soldiers so that it would have a chance at freedom and education. People remembered what it was like two decades ago when the Taliban ruled and no one wanted to experience it again.
The Taliban rose to power in 1994 during the Afghan civil war, tired of the corruption, lawlessness and insecurity that had emerged during the war, Mullah Omar it’s founder started a movement of students to put an end to the war and unify the country under Islam. By 1998 within four years of its establishment it controlled 90% of the country. The movement was very popular at its beginning and was welcomed by the Afghan populace because it stamped out corruption, lawlessness and made the country safe for business and trade. However the Taliban introduced a strict form of Sharia law in the country. Women above 10 years were banned from going to school and doing any work outside health care, they could only go out if they were fully covered from head to toe and accompanied by a male relative, strict punishment like the cutting off of the hands of thieves were exerted for crimes, paintings, music, films and cinema was banned until 2001 when the US went to war in Afghanistan in search of Osama bin Laden.
The biggest terrorist attack on American soil happened and it was planned by Osama bin Laden from Afghanistan. The US demanded the extradition of Bin Laden to the US from the Taliban controlled Afghan government but this request was denied so fueled by rage and hungry for revenge the United States went to war in Afghanistan, the mission was simple. Capture or kill Osama bin laden and make sure that Afghanistan is never used as a base to plan attacks by al qaeda or any terrorist organisation against the United States or its allies.
The war started with a bombing campaign and in a matter of months the United States army had taken control of the country, the Taliban government was toppled and an interim government was installed, a new constitution was created and a new president elected and the rights and freedoms of the Afghan people were restored. The Taliban retreated from the cities to the country side were it waged guerrilla warfare on the US army. In 2011 after a decade long hunt Osama bin Laden was finally killed in Pakistan however the US still remained in Afghanistan to stabilise the country before leaving.
After almost two decades of war the US reached a peace deal with the Taliban in which it pledged to withdraw all troops from the country by the end of August 2021 and the Taliban on it’s part promised to not attack the US or allow it’s territories be used as a training ground for any terrorist organisations to attack the United States or its allies. The Taliban began a military offensive at the beginning of August against the elected Afghan government and army and it met little or no resistance. It conquered city after city and on the 15th of August, Kabul the capital of Afghanistan was captured, the President fled and the Taliban regained control of the country for the first time in 20 years.
The future is extremely uncertain for the citizens of Afghanistan who are unable to leave the country. The Taliban has promised to be more modest and respect the rights of women and children within the confines of Islamic law, to form an inclusive government and is currently in talks with senior politicians including members of the government it just toppled. However many Afghans are skeptical about these promises and fear that the return to power of the Taliban would be violent and oppressive and mark the end of all the rights and privileges enjoyed under US rule.
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