Afghanistan revives the ghosts of the past in the worst year for Afghans

Afghanistan is completing its first year under a new Taliban regime that is resurrecting the ghosts of the past. The year in which the ongoing loss of rights womenspate of attacks and suspicion of harboring in Kabul Al Qaeda leader they were far from the guarantees with which they came to power.

This series of broken promises since the inauguration Kabul August 2021 added to serious economic crisis and humanitarian efforts in the country have only brought the current Taliban government closer to that of its previous regime from 1996 to 2001, known for its exclusion of women and its strict social code.

But 2022 has also been marked by catastrophes unrelated to the rise of the fundamentalists, such as the devastating 5.9 magnitude earthquake in June that killed more than 1,000 people and injured about 1,500.

EXCLUSION OF WOMEN

Afghan women and girls They became the main victims. Forced to take to the streets covered from head to toe in veils, deprived of the opportunity to receive secondary education and limited in work, they watch as the all-powerful Ministry of Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice continues to restrict your rights.

numerous protests where many of them go, who have been sent to small parks or enclosed spaces out of fear of the security forces, who do not hesitate to resort to violence to nip their complaints in the bud.

“Social rights are non-existent, work and education are also limited, and political, economic and social participation, especially for women, can also be vetoed,” Afghan social activist Basira Hussain told EFE.

Relentless fundamentalists leave no room for hope women and in the rare cases that they had, nothing changed.

That was last March, when in four days the Taliban went from announcing they would allow teenagers to return to high schools to retracting their decision on opening day morning, when many students were already anxiously waiting on the outskirts. institutions for admission.

They argued that some details still needed to be polished, such as the design of uniforms in accordance with Sharia or Islamic law, Afghan customs and culture, but after months, silence reigns, as is the case with the rest of the bans.

DROP ATTACKS

The security of the country, especially in the capital, was one of the biggest problems Taliban Hundreds of people have died this year in attacks, mostly by the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group, on mosques, educational centers and other meeting places for religious minorities.

Members of the Hazara Shiite minority were the main victims of these attacks, some of which were especially bloody, such as the attack in September that left 53 people, including 46 girls, and injured 110 at an educational center in the Hazara quarter. capital Cities.

“Ideologically, there is no difference between ISIS and Talibanespecially against the Khazarians. Most Hazaras believe that the attacks on civilians and educational centers are the collective work of ISIS and the Taliban,” the director of a foundation that supports the victims of this punished minority told EFE on condition of anonymity.

This director denounces that Taliban they completely excluded minorities from institutions, which however is denied by the fundamentalist government’s deputy spokesman Bilal Karimi, who insists that the administration is “open to all Afghans”.

Although the attacks continue, the EFE spokesman notes that Government The Taliban “were able to provide security throughout the country” and virtually eliminate ISIS, which “no longer poses any threat to the country.”

VIOLATION OF THE DOHA AGREEMENT

USA agreed to a full withdrawal of its troops in the historic Doha agreement signed in February 2020, on the condition, among other things, that the Taliban not allow Afghanistan to again become a safe haven for terrorists, as happened under its previous regime.

However, the death of the leader of al-Qaeda, Ayman al-ZawahiriU.S. drone strike in Kabul last July drew condemnation USAwho accused the Taliban regime of a “serious” violation of the agreement.

Despite the fact that the fundamentalists said they had no information about the arrival and stay of the leader of al-Qaeda in the capital, this event became a new obstacle in the negotiations between USA and the Taliban for releasing Afghan funds, further exacerbating the economic and humanitarian crisis in the country.

DESTROYING EARTHQUAKE

And the fact is that 87% of Afghans now live in poverty, while nearly half of the country’s 43 million people are food insecure, Maritsia Mohammadi, of the World Food Program (WFP), told EFE.

A crisis that will be exacerbated by the arrival of a cold winter and the subsequent increase in prices for heating materials and food, he added.

In this context, the country suffered a major setback on June 22, when a devastating 5.9 magnitude earthquake rocked eastern Afghanistan, spreading terror among the affected population, whose isolation and poverty were a mixture that resulted in over a thousand deaths and around 1,500 injuries.

A catastrophe that once again drew attention to this Asian country in need of international assistance, but lasted only a few weeks, until the problems of the Afghan population again faded into the background.

EFE