By Hajira Khota
01:09:2021

Following the Taliban’s swift takeover of Kabul on Aug. 15, the Biden administration has spent weeks scrambling to remove Americans and Afghan translators who assisted the American military.

As America’s longest war came to an end, Afghanistan saw its first day without US troops on the ground in nearly two decades. The departure occurred after a tense final day of a desperate operation to evacuate tens of thousands of Americans and Afghans who had aided the US-led war effort — a mission that resulted in the deaths of dozens of Afghans and 13 US troops in an attack.

As the remaining US military flew out of Afghanistan, Taliban fighters took control of Kabul’s airport. The US withdrawal was a tense situation for Afghans, whose lives have been at risk because they cooperated with US or allied forces, putting an end to weeks of frantic efforts to win a coveted position on a US evacuation flight.

In a statement provided by the White House, President Joe Biden congratulated the military for executing the risky withdrawal from Afghanistan as scheduled. But he has been slammed for how the withdrawal was carried out, both by Republicans and some Democrats.

Radio Islam International interviewed Ali Latifi, a renowned journalist in Afghanistan. The United States ended its 20-year war with the Taliban in power when the last of its forces left. Despite the Taliban’s promises to restore peace and security, many Afghans remain terrified of their rule or greater instability. There have been rare allegations of executions and other atrocities in regions under their control.

“There have been some positives since the Taliban rule, no theft which helps with law and order in the country, but people are still fearful for their lives especially women and children”.

The collapse of the Afghan government saw President Ashraf Ghani depart Afghanistan for the United Arab Emirates. The Taliban took charge of the presidential palace in Kabul on Aug. 15, days before the United States withdrawal.

Thousands of Afghans died due to the war, and those who survive, face an uncertain future under the Taliban rule.

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