For Afghans who have been living under Taliban rule for three years, life in Afghanistan has steadily worsened: the humanitarian crisis continues to worsen, women’s rights have virtually disappeared, and Kabul remains virtually isolated from the international community.
A quarter of Afghanistan’s population suffers from “acute” food shortages, more than half the population relies on humanitarian aid, and according to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), nearly 70 percent of the country’s population suffers from “subsistence insecurity,” meaning they lack reliable access to basic resources such as food, water, shelter or health care.
After the Taliban took power in Kabul on August 15, 2021, the country’s economy “essentially collapsed,” according to the UNDP, largely because international funding through government donor programs such as the Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund was suspended.
Three years after the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Taliban demonstrate American weapons
The Taliban have exacerbated their own economic crisis by propagating their extremist ideologies and denying women access to the job market and educational opportunities.
Three years after the end of Washington’s “war on terror,” many are wondering whether life in Afghanistan is worse than it was before the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, and the subsequent US invasion.
“If it’s not worse, it’s heading that way quickly,” Michael Rubin, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and an expert on security issues in the Middle East and South Asia, told Fox News Digital.
In addition to reinstating strict bans on women, the Taliban have also reinstated corporal punishment through public floggings and forced group executions. In addition, in May, the Taliban’s supreme leader, Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada, threatened to reinstate the stoning of women for adultery – a punishment practiced by the Taliban against women that was never fully abolished even during the US invasion.
“The biggest difference between now and before 2001 is that the Taliban have much better resources,” says Rubin, who spent time with the Taliban before the Sept. 11 attacks.
Taliban announce public stoning of women – direct message to Western democracies
Rubin said that while the Taliban are not directly funded by international humanitarian groups, they have found ways to divert funds for their own purposes.
The Taliban marked the third anniversary of the capture of Kabul on Wednesday with a parade at Bagram Air Base – formerly the largest U.S. military base in Afghanistan – displaying American military equipment left behind after the withdrawal.
While there was no mention of the plight of Afghans, speeches were made praising the Taliban’s efforts to crush resistance against the extremist group, while also pointing out Afghanistan’s continued isolation from the international community.
“The Islamic Emirate has eliminated internal differences and expanded the framework for unity and cooperation in the country,” said Deputy Prime Minister Maulvi Abdul Kabir, referring to a term the Taliban uses to describe their government, according to an AP News report. “No one is allowed to interfere in internal affairs and Afghan soil will not be used against any country.”
Former US military machinery left behind at the air base, such as helicopters, tanks and vehicles, were exhibited alongside soldiers with light and heavy machine guns.
“The Taliban hold these parades every year to rub their victory and our defeat in our faces,” Bill Roggio, senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and founding editor of The Long War Journal, told Fox News Digital.
Afghanistan is largely an international pariah because of its human rights abuses. But even as some countries begin to allow diplomatic relations with the insurgent group, Western nations remain deeply concerned that Afghanistan has once again become a haven for terrorist organizations.
“Afghanistan is much more dangerous today than it was before 9/11,” Roggio said. “The Taliban have complete control of the country and are providing protection and support to al-Qaeda and allied terrorist groups.”
Roggio said al-Qaeda was again operating training camps in at least 12 provinces across the country, with very little internal resistance.
