U.S. withdraws from Afghanistan after destroying all equipment

As the U.S. completely withdrew from Afghanistan, the “graveyard of empires,” on Tuesday, the Taliban is celebrating and preparing to set up a new government. It remains unclear whether the Taliban, who have been only engaging in wars for 20 years, can resolve the issue of economic collapse and govern the country in a stable manner.

“American soldiers left the Kabul airport, and our nation got its full independence,” Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said on Tuesday, according to the Associated Press. Another spokesperson of the Taliban, Mohammad Naim, noted that the entire territory of Afghanistan is under the control of the Taliban. “We made history again. The 20-year long occupation of Afghanistan by the United States & NATO has ended tonight,” Anas Haqqani, the younger brother of the head of the Haqqani Network Sirajuddin Haqqani, said on Twitter. The members of the Taliban celebrated their victory by setting off fireworks while watching the last aircraft of the U.S. leaving the Kabul airport in the darkness, the Associated Press reported.

It is predicted that Taliban supreme commander Hibatullah Akhundzada will come out of seclusion to announce the launch of a new government and seize power. The Voice of America quoted a senior Taliban leader and reported that Akhundzada is holding the consultations in Kandahar to announce a new Cabinet along with his deputies Sirajuddin Haqqani and Mullah Mohammad Yaqoob, the head of the Taliban military commission. Mujahid said that the formation of a new Cabinet would be completed in one to two weeks, and deputy spokesman Bilal Karimi said that Akhundzada would soon appear in public. It is garnering attention whether the Taliban, who announced to form an inclusive government, will set up a government that allows the participation of ethnic minorities, such as Pashtuns, Tajiks, and Uzbeks, and the old warlord forces.

There is a shortage of human resources required for governing in the country. A lot of those who used to work for government agencies are hiding in fear of the Taliban’s retaliation. It is estimated that there are about 100,000 members of the Taliban. Most of them know how to shoot guns but cannot read. There is also a lack of people with technological capabilities to run the Kabul airport left by the U.S. military. Spokesman Naim said on Tuesday that technical support is required to run the airport. The country’s already outdated healthcare system is collapsing as the members of international organizations left the country.

While the Taliban said that women would have the opportunities for education and their rights will be respected based on the Islamic law in an attempt to seek recognition by the international community, but it is unclear whether such actions will be taken in practice. There are conflicts between the hardliners and the moderates within the Taliban in the process. There were conflicts among the many factions of the Taliban in 2015 as the leadership of the group hid the death of former leader Mohammed Omar. Another task for the Taliban to deal with is to suppress the Islamic State militant group that recently bombed the Kabul airport.


Jong-Yeob JO jjj@donga.com