The Taliban are continuing to take hold of Afghanistan, and instant changes reflecting their ideology are already cropping up in the nation’s capital … especially as it relates to women.
The so-called religious “students” and their vast discipleship are on the brink of sacking Kabul right now — with mass evacuations underway among citizens and leaders (like Afghanistan’s president, Ashraf Ghani, who’s said to have fled) but also … U.S. diplomats and other allies who are stranded at the embassy there, which is basically under siege.
Aside from the utter chaos that’s descended upon the area over the past week or so — it’s becoming quite clear that with the Taliban at the helm again, which looks more and more likely by the day, their world is going to look vastly different … and almost overnight, too.
One example of this that’s manifesting this weekend is the fact that posters, billboards and advertising-like images of women in and around Kabul are starting to get painted over completely, presumably at the Taliban’s behest. Check out this photo showing exactly that.
Capital Kabul right now, Traffic blocked, everyone is in a hurry and are rushing to their homes.#Kabul #Afghanistan pic.twitter.com/QqDXwUm5c7
— Obaidullah Rahimi Mashwani (@IamObaidRahimi) August 15, 2021
@IamObaidRahimi
The thinking here seems to be in line with what the Taliban subscribes to — a strict interpretation of Islamic law, which often sees women of its faith being covered up and often relegated to whatever a man has to say. One glance at this, and it would appear the Taliban wants to get the status-quo back ASAP — unraveling 20 years of a U.S. presence there.
Of course, it’s become a political nightmare on our shores — with Republicans pointing the finger at President Biden for evacuating our troops in recent months. But, his counterpoint was … well, this is something Trump brokered while in office, and he just followed through.
In the meantime, footage that has surfaced of what’s going on on the ground level is shocking. The streets of Kabul are jam-packed with people trying to hit the airport to get outta Dodge. But they’re out of luck because commercial flights have reportedly been suspended.
Instead, it looks like only military aircrafts are being used at the moment … and there’s video of people trying to board what appears to be a cargo plane of some sort — the type that opens up in the back, normally used for transporting massive gear and equipment.
Hamid Karzai international airport. 16 August, 2021. pic.twitter.com/LXsAQPpFXG
— BILAL SARWARY (@bsarwary) August 15, 2021
@bsarwary
This is just a taste of the scene there, and it’s gut-wrenching. Big picture … some U.S. officials have openly warned what letting the Taliban have its run of the place might mean for national security — AKA, potential terrorism threats that could arise from this insurgence.
Granted, these aren’t necessarily the guys who carried out 9/11, per se — that was mostly Osama bin Laden/Al Qaeda — but nonetheless … the concerns are still there.