The Enduring Mystery Of Afghanistan: A Country's Complex Existence

Afghanistan is a landlocked country in Central Asia, bordering Pakistan, Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and China. The country has a population of around 43 million people and is predominantly mountainous.

Afghanistan has a long history of human habitation, dating back to the Middle Paleolithic era. The country has been the site of numerous military campaigns, including those by the Persians, Alexander the Great, the Maurya Empire, Arab Muslims, the Mongols, the British, the Soviet Union, and a US-led coalition.

In recent decades, Afghanistan has been dominated by extensive warfare, coups, invasions, insurgencies, and civil wars. The country has rich natural resources, including lithium, iron, zinc, and copper, and is a major producer of cannabis resin, saffron, and cashmere.

Despite the ongoing conflict and political instability, Afghanistan remains a recognised country with diplomatic relations and international recognition. However, the current Taliban government, which seized power in 2021, is not internationally recognised by Western countries. The country continues to face significant challenges, including high levels of terrorism, poverty, and child malnutrition, and remains among the world's least developed nations.

The Taliban's impact on Afghanistan's economy

Since the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021, the country's economy has been in a dire state. Here is an overview of the Taliban's impact on Afghanistan's economy:

• Economic Downturn: Afghanistan's economy has been in a downward spiral since the Taliban takeover. The country's GDP contracted by 20.7% in 2021 and a further 6.2% in 2022. The economy remains on the verge of collapse, with structural deficiencies in the private sector and waning international support.
• Malnutrition and Food Insecurity: The Taliban's rule has led to soaring malnutrition rates and food insecurity. The UN reported in 2022 that almost all Afghans were living in poverty, with 90% suffering from some form of food insecurity.
• Loss of Jobs: The Taliban's restrictions on women's employment and their overall mismanagement of the economy have resulted in significant job losses. Hundreds of thousands of jobs have been lost, and the World Bank estimates that restricting women's employment could cost up to 5% of Afghanistan's GDP.
• International Isolation: The Taliban's government remains internationally unrecognized, and this has contributed to the country's economic isolation. Sanctions and the termination of foreign aid have crippled Afghanistan's economy, with critical cash flow being restricted.
• Humanitarian Crisis: Afghanistan is facing a severe humanitarian crisis, with cascading issues such as rising food prices, drought, and natural disasters. The World Bank estimates that over half of Afghan households do not have enough income to meet basic food needs.
• Ineffective Governance: The Taliban's governance has been marked by a lack of clear economic strategy and a focus on ideological restrictions rather than practical solutions. Their inability to effectively manage the economy has led to a loss of confidence among investors and a dysfunctional banking sector.
• Reversal of Women's Rights: The Taliban have imposed strict restrictions on women, banning them from most forms of employment and education. This has not only violated human rights but also contributed to the economic downturn, as women have been vital to Afghanistan's development and made up a significant portion of the workforce.

The Taliban's treatment of women

Education

The Taliban have banned girls from attending secondary school and university. In some provinces, girls are still allowed to attend secondary school, but across the country, girls are forbidden from attending secondary school and higher education institutions. This makes Afghanistan the only country in the world where girls and young women are forbidden from attending secondary school.

Employment

The Taliban have barred women from working in most sectors. Women are banned from working in government offices, for international organisations or non-governmental organisations, and from working on women's empowerment projects. They are also barred from running certain businesses and from working in decision-making and managerial positions.

Freedom of Movement

The Taliban have banned women from travelling outside the country without a male relative, or mahram. Women are also banned from entering public parks, public baths, and historic places such as monuments and sightseeing spots.

Attire

The Taliban have mandated that women wear a burqa or Arab-style hijab when outside of the home.

Health

Restrictions on women and girls are limiting their access to routine and emergency healthcare. As girls and women can only be treated by female doctors, there is a real risk of multiple preventable deaths, which could amount to femicide.

Justice

The Taliban have barred women from working as lawyers or judges or from holding other positions in the justice system. They have also invalidated thousands of divorce cases that were under review during the previous government, forcing battered women to return to abusive husbands.

Mental Health

The suffocating environment created by the Taliban's restrictions is having an impact on the mental health of women and girls, with widespread reports of depression and suicide, especially among adolescent girls prevented from pursuing education.

Violence

Restrictions on women's rights have led to a significant increase in spousal and intrafamily violence against women and girls.

The Taliban's relationship with Al-Qaeda

The Taliban and Al-Qaeda have a long history of working together. The Taliban is an Afghan militant group that emerged in the early 1990s in northern Pakistan following the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan. The group is predominantly Pashtun and follows a strict interpretation of Sharia law.

Al-Qaeda is a global terrorist group that was founded in Afghanistan in 1988 by Osama bin Laden. The group has been responsible for numerous terrorist attacks around the world, including the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center in 2001.

The Taliban and Al-Qaeda first formed an alliance in the 1990s, when Al-Qaeda provided financial and military support to the Taliban as it fought against the Northern Alliance in Afghanistan. In return, the Taliban provided safe haven for Al-Qaeda. This alliance continued even after the Taliban was overthrown by US-led forces in 2001.

The Taliban and Al-Qaeda maintained their close ties even as they faced increased pressure from the US and international community. In 2020, the Taliban signed an agreement with the US in which they committed to restraining jihadist groups, including Al-Qaeda, from operating in Afghanistan. However, there are concerns that the Taliban has not upheld this agreement and continues to maintain ties with Al-Qaeda.

The relationship between the Taliban and Al-Qaeda is based on shared ideological and religious beliefs, as well as mutual interests. The Taliban provides Al-Qaeda with a safe haven and protection, while Al-Qaeda provides financial and military support to the Taliban. This relationship has allowed both groups to carry out attacks and expand their influence in the region.

The Taliban's return to power in Afghanistan in 2021 has raised concerns about the potential for increased cooperation between the two groups. There are fears that Afghanistan could once again become a safe haven for terrorists, with Al-Qaeda using the country as a base for launching international attacks.

Despite these efforts, the Taliban and Al-Qaeda remain closely linked, and their relationship continues to pose a threat to regional and international security. The Taliban's refusal to break ties with Al-Qaeda has led to international sanctions and isolation, with no country recognizing the Taliban government as legitimate.

The future of the Taliban-Al-Qaeda relationship remains uncertain, but it is clear that their alliance has significant implications for Afghanistan and the wider region.

The Taliban's treatment of ethnic minorities

Shi'ite Muslim, Sikh, and Hindu minorities suffer systemic discrimination under Taliban rule. In the 1980s, there were around 100,000 Hindus and Sikhs across the country. However, growing persecution during the war pushed many out. During the first Taliban regime, militant rulers announced that Sikhs and Hindus would be forced to wear yellow badges to identify them, and they were prevented from building new temples and had to pay jizya, a tax for not being Muslim.

Shi'a Muslims make up approximately 15% of Afghanistan's 40 million people and are mostly ethnic Hazaras, some Tajiks, and a few Pashtuns. In addition to harassment and persecution, these minorities are also denied the right to use their jurisprudence in courts. Afghanistan's 2004 Constitution permitted Shi'a to use their Jafari jurisprudence in court cases, but the Taliban has since suspended the Constitution indefinitely.

The Taliban originally promised better treatment towards minority groups, but they have since broken these promises. For example, they stopped Shi'a from celebrating an important festival, Eid al-Ghadir, and restricted Shi'a teachings at universities.

Sikhs and Hindus also face harsh restrictions on their appearance and have been banned from celebrating religious holidays in public, to the point where many have fled. Fari Kaur, one of the last Sikhs remaining in Kabul, says she "cannot go anywhere" and is forced to "dress like a Muslim" so that nobody will identify her as Sikh.

Historically, the Taliban has been intolerant of public expressions and displays of the Sikh, Hindu, Shi'ite, and other religious minorities. The Taliban has often forced its interpretation of Islam and Islamic laws on all Afghans, especially religious minorities who are not Muslim and Sunni.

The Taliban has also been accused of committing a cultural genocide against the Afghan people by destroying their historical and cultural texts, artifacts, and sculptures.

The Taliban has frequently recruited other communities in Afghanistan, such as Uzbeks and Tajiks, into its ranks. However, the absence of Hazaras in the Taliban has frustrated the group's efforts to recast itself as a moderate and nationwide movement.

The Taliban's strict interpretation of Sharia law has resulted in brutal treatment of many Afghans. They have committed massacres against civilians, denied UN food supplies to starving civilians, and conducted a policy of scorched earth, burning vast areas of fertile land and destroying tens of thousands of homes.

The Taliban's harsh treatment of ethnic minorities is not limited to those within Afghanistan. In 2001, the Taliban launched an attack on Mazar-i-Sharif, killing an estimated 5,000 to 6,000 people, mostly Hazaras. This ethnic cleansing left an estimated 10 Iranian diplomats and a journalist dead, straining relations with Iran.

The Taliban's treatment of journalists

The Taliban has been accused of torturing, beating, harassing, threatening, and detaining journalists, as well as confiscating their belongings and equipment. Journalists have also been prevented from reporting on certain topics, such as protests, food prices, and the Taliban's treatment of women. In some cases, journalists have been banned from working altogether, especially women journalists.

The Taliban has also imposed restrictions on media outlets, including the suspension of two television stations for "violating Islamic and national values and journalistic principles". The Taliban has issued "11 rules for journalists" that prohibit the publication of reports that go against their interpretation of Islam or that have not been confirmed by Taliban officials.

The treatment of journalists has led to self-censorship and the abandonment of media activities, with many journalists choosing to flee the country out of fear for their safety. The situation is particularly dangerous for women journalists, who face intense repression and are often driven out of the profession.

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