In the mids, investors led by state-owned Metallurgical Corp. MCC said in its annual report it was negotiating with the Afghan government about the mining contract after earlier saying it was economically unviable. But not many are optimistic. Reports have emerged of targeted killings, a massacre of ethnic minorities, violent suppression of protests and Taliban soldiers demanding to marry local women.
Michelle Bachelet urged the Geneva forum to set up a mechanism to closely monitor Taliban actions. Taliban told Iran to continue exports of petroleum products which the latter had paused over safety concerns. US vice president made the comments during a Singapore trip, where she vowed support for regional allies against China. Published On 24 Aug The Soviets occupied Afghanistan during the s and ultimately withdrew after resistance from fighters, collectively known as mujahadeen.
Among them was Osama bin Laden. The US funneled arms and help to these anti-Soviet forces. But in the post-Soviet power vacuum, the Taliban was formed under the leadership of Mullah Mohammed Omar, who wanted to create an Islamic society, expel foreign influences like TV and music from the country and impose a repressive version of Islamic law that is particularly harsh on women.
By , they controlled nearly all of the country. How Taliban may run Afghanistan after US troops withdraw Why did the US invade Afghanistan in the first place? But the masterminds of the attack, including Osama bin Laden, had been operating out of under the cover of the Taliban, which refused to give up bin Laden in the wake of the attack. Was there bipartisan support for invading Afghanistan in ? Support was nearly unanimous.
Only one lawmaker, Rep. Barbara Lee of California, opposed it. That resolution was first used to authorize action in Afghanistan, but presidents since have leaned on it for action in at least 37 different countries, according to the Congressional Research Service.
What did the President George W. Bush say when the US invaded Afghanistan? Since then, a new generation of Americans has been born and come of age while the war that started that day carried on, often in the background with little focus from most of the public.
How many troops have been in Afghanistan in the past 20 years? The number has fluctuated quite a bit. At times during the Obama administration there were about , US troops deployed to Afghanistan. Obama tried to end US combat operations in Afghanistan in , but left more troops in the country than he planned. New Atlanticist May 18, By Emily Carll. New Atlanticist May 11, Avoiding complete defeat for US goals after the military withdrawal will require swift, coordinated action from Washington.
Five former top US diplomats to Afghanistan reveal how to do it. Image: Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taliban's deputy leader and negotiator, and other delegation members attend the Afghan peace conference in Moscow, Russia, on March 18, Afghanistan Conflict. Afghanistan Central Asia. New Atlanticist May 11, Afghanistan: What now to avoid disaster? Neumann, Richard Olson, and Earl Anthony Wayne Avoiding complete defeat for US goals after the military withdrawal will require swift, coordinated action from Washington.
Within its borders, Osama bin Laden sought and found a safe haven, with the Taliban finding what was, in effect, a cryo-chamber for that same war. US policy towards Pakistan has not effectively addressed these serious contradictions, and Afghanistan has been blatantly obvious proof that the policy has not protected US or allied national security interests.
For some of us, it was hearing about casualties on the news, but for others, it was far more personal: deploying and fighting a war that, in retrospect, was unwinnable. And though ending the war offers an opportunity to look forward for those who have put so much on the line for so little, it is perhaps more important to look back.
As revelations like those in the Pentagon Papers suggest, many in Washington, at a minimum, put an overly optimistic face on reports; others misled the public and the congressional representatives charged with their oversight. A full congressional investigation of the twenty-year war would help to uncover this, bring some accountability for these failures where possible, and set up better mechanisms to prevent such mistakes from happening again.
We cannot do any less. August 31 was a dark day for America. Hundreds of American citizens were unable to be evacuated, along with thousands of vulnerable Afghan allies. Our terrorist enemies are emboldened, and with no military presence in the country, it will be much harder to disrupt their plotting.
While the situation in Afghanistan is bleak, there are three steps the administration should take to mitigate the fallout from the withdrawal. First, our top priority must be to bring every American home. The Taliban will certainly try to use them as pawns to extract various concessions, which is why the administration must be firm: Getting Americans to safety is non-negotiable. Second, the administration must resist pressure to normalize relations with the Taliban.
It is subject to sweeping terrorism sanctions at the UN and under US law. Those sanctions should stay in place, assets should remain frozen, and there should be no diplomatic recognition.
Third, the administration should support Ahmad Massoud—and, indeed, any credible anti-Taliban resistance movement. The son of the legendary Northern Alliance leader has assembled a militia in the Panjshir Valley and is vowing to resist. I joined the US Foreign Service about the same time in that Iran took American diplomats hostage, and during my year career, I saw many presidents deal with tragedy and failure in the Middle East.
That includes the truck bombing that killed US service members, mostly Marines, in Beirut. I was struck by four elements of the speech. First, the evacuation was extraordinary and the fact that it was carried out without further loss of life is nearly unbelievable, given the chaos of the situation.
Biden was right to pay tribute to the US service members and diplomats who gave it their all during the process. Second, Biden explained his decision in some detail, recognizing that it was his call as commander-in-chief.
His description of the situation he faced reflected a fundamental truth about foreign policy: By the time an issue reaches the president, there are no good options—just difficult choices among bad options, all with uncertain outcomes.
Third, Biden stated clearly what he considers to be the primary US national interest: stopping terrorist attacks on the United States. He explained his view that the US role in Afghanistan had strayed from that essential objective at great cost. Changing the political and social culture of Afghanistan was always secondary to that goal. Fourth, the president expressed the human cost of war in terms people can readily understand.
He recognized the toll on veterans and their families, PTSD, and the high suicide rate among military members. He is a career diplomat with more than thirty years of experience abroad and in Washington. Experts react Aug 18, By Atlantic Council experts. As policymakers in Washington grapple with the stark reality of losing Afghanistan, their counterparts across Europe are no less flummoxed over what happens next. Will Brussels be as ready to support future American foreign policy initiatives?
New Atlanticist Aug 17, By Alex Zerden. The reality of a strengthened Taliban running the Afghan government creates substantial and imminent economic policy challenges for the United States and the international community.
New Atlanticist Aug 25, By Kirsten Fontenrose. The realities of the Afghanistan withdrawal and its framing as a defeat put service members and veterans at risk for debilitating mental health problems and suicide.
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