The rise of the Taliban contrasts with the loss of women’s rights a year after the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, which prompted the Islamists’ takeover
August 15 is a red date on the calendar for Afghanistan. This Monday marks the first anniversary of the US withdrawal from the country and the resulting Taliban seizure of Kabul. For a section of society – minorities and vulnerable populations, especially women – it has been a darkest period, marked by violence and the suppression of rights among the female population.
The withdrawal of the American troops inevitably led to the collapse of the armed forces of the Central Asian country and, finally, of the government itself. All this accelerated the restoration of Taliban control and the ensuing chaotic departure of both foreigners and Afghan citizens themselves. Thousands then left for Hamid-Karzai International Airport in Kabul to flee the area as quickly as possible. The panorama left shocking images of the tumult of Afghans entering the runways to sneak into the planes that would leave the country and give them the promise of freedom. Some died in the attempt. The images of civilians clinging to the moving devices, and even of some of them falling after the flight had started, went around the world.
Since Islamists took power in a lightning strike a year ago, Afghan women have all but disappeared from public life and face significant restrictions on what they can wear, where they can work and how they travel. Meanwhile, families are seeing their incomes decline as a result of a worsening economic crisis.
Afghan society is divided. While some suffer, others celebrate. The Taliban regime has declared a national holiday on Monday to commemorate the event. “August 15 is the first anniversary of the victory of the Afghans’ jihad, led by the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, against the occupation of the Americans and their allies” over the past two decades, the Department of Labor and Foreign Affairs said. Social in a statement collected by the pro-Taliban news agency Bajtar News.
Source: La Verdad
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