The Kabul Cataclysm: A City's Trauma And Its Aftermath

Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, has been a site of turmoil and violence since the Taliban seized control of the city in August 2021. The takeover sparked a mass evacuation effort as thousands of Afghans and foreign nationals attempted to flee the country. The area around Kabul's airport became a flashpoint for violence, with deadly attacks carried out by ISIS-K, an Islamic State affiliate, killing over a hundred Afghans and thirteen US service members. The Taliban's return to power has raised concerns about the future of women's rights and the potential for retribution against those associated with the previous regime.

The Taliban consolidates control, forming a new government

The Taliban's swift offensive in Afghanistan saw them sweep back into power in August 2021, 20 years after their ouster by US troops. As they transitioned from an insurgent group to a functional government, the Taliban leadership closed in on forming a new government, with their fighters attacking the last bastion of Afghanistan not under their control.

The three-day-long engagement was chaired by Sheikh Haibatullah Akhundzada, a religious scholar who was widely expected to become the country's supreme leader, suggesting the new government could be structured like Iran's theocracy. The Taliban promised an inclusive government made up of Afghans from different backgrounds and ethnicities, including women.

The Taliban's interim cabinet, appointed early in their tenure, is still intact. All acting ministers were senior leaders within the Taliban; no outside political figures were appointed, the overwhelming majority were Pashtun, and all were men. The Taliban have swiftly reinstated many of their harshest policies, pushing women out of public life and brooking no dissent.

The Taliban's political system is "highly underspecified and undertheorized." They refer to their government as the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, the title of the first regime they established in the 1990s. The emirate is organized around a supreme leader, the emir, believed to be endowed by God with authority to oversee all affairs of state and society.

The Taliban have struggled to establish a formal government, and they seem far off from drafting and formalizing a constitution. Afghanistan currently lacks any basis for rule of law; Taliban security forces determine what is criminal on the spot, and Taliban courts issue judgments.

The Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan has wiped out gains in Afghans' standards of living. The economy has shrunk by up to 30%, and an estimated 700,000 jobs have been lost. More than 90% of the population has been suffering from some form of food insecurity.

The Taliban's government has been internationally condemned for restricting human rights in Afghanistan, including the right of women and girls to work and to have an education. They have also been criticized for their brutal treatment of Afghans who disobeyed their imposed rules.

Explosions and gunfire at Kabul airport kill over 100 people

On 26 August 2021, two suicide bombers and Islamic State gunmen attacked Kabul airport in Afghanistan, killing at least 60 Afghans and 13 US troops. The attack took place during a massive airlift that saw thousands of people seeking to flee the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan.

The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack on its Amaq news channel. The IS affiliate in Afghanistan is far more radical than the Taliban and is believed to have been behind the attack. The Taliban, who had recently taken control of the country, were not thought to have been involved and even condemned the blasts.

The attack involved two suicide bombers who detonated explosive belts at the airport's Abbey Gate. This was followed by an assault by gunmen. Another bomb went off at a hotel outside the airport.

The US general overseeing the evacuation said that the attacks would not stop the United States from evacuating Americans and others, and that flights out were continuing. Alternate routes were being used to get evacuees in, and about 5,000 people were awaiting flights on the airfield.

The explosions came just hours after Western officials warned of a potential terror attack at the airport and urged people to leave. However, this advice went largely unheeded as Afghans were desperate to escape in the final days of the American-led evacuation before the US officially ended its 20-year presence on 31 August.

The attack caused a large number of casualties, with 18 US service members wounded and over 100 Afghans wounded in addition to the dead.

The US evacuates thousands of people from Afghanistan

The US has evacuated thousands of people from Afghanistan since the Taliban took control of Kabul in August 2021. The evacuation efforts were marred by chaos and violence, with US troops having to brave Taliban checkpoints to reach the airport, the last redoubt of American-backed rule in the country.

The US and its allies evacuated around 48,000 people from Afghanistan since August 14, 2021, when the Taliban seized the capital. Over 10,900 people were evacuated from Kabul in a 12-hour period on Monday, August 23, according to the White House. This included 15 US military flights carrying approximately 6,600 people and 34 coalition flights carrying 4,300 people.

The evacuation efforts were not without tragedy. On August 26, 2021, a suicide bomber detonated an explosive near Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, killing 13 US service members and injuring 18 others. Dozens of Afghan civilians also lost their lives in the attack. The Islamic State group later claimed responsibility for the attack.

The US continued the evacuation efforts despite the threat of further attacks. President Biden vowed that the US would not be intimidated by terrorists and would continue to get people out. The Pentagon also confirmed that the US had the capacity to evacuate the approximately 300 US citizens remaining in Afghanistan who wanted to leave before the August 31, 2021, deadline.

The evacuation efforts concluded at midnight on August 31, 2021, with the departure of the last US military plane from Kabul. The 20-year US occupation of Afghanistan ended with the Taliban back in control of the country.

The Taliban's Minister of Culture and Information addresses a crowd

Ladies and gentlemen, esteemed members of the press, thank you for joining me today.

As you know, the Taliban has declared the restoration of our Islamic Emirate, and we are here to stay. We will not be intimidated by the Americans or their puppets. We have defeated them with our old guns and forced them to retreat. We will not allow them to exploit Afghanistan's wealth.

We are committed to cultural development, standard publications, the expansion and growth of the tourism industry, and a balanced rise in the youth's capabilities. We will protect our national identity, cultural diversity, and national unity. We will also safeguard our tangible and intangible cultural heritage.

The Taliban expects the media to uphold Islamic values, Afghan culture, and national interests. We will recruit journalists who lost their jobs following our takeover and will introduce a new media law to be approved by our leader.

We are aware that there is resistance among Afghans, and we know that thousands are gathered at the airport, hoping to be evacuated. To those who wish to leave, I ask: what's wrong with all of you? We're all Afghans. Where is our pride, our dignity, our honour? Today, we are begging the Americans to take care of us, and this is a huge shame. I am embarrassed, and I am sure you are too.

The Americans must leave Afghanistan. We will force them out. We will not allow them here. I will fight the Americans as long as I am alive. We do not fear them. We will make sure of it.

Thank you.

The Taliban's takeover of Kabul sparks violence and chaos

On 15 August 2021, the Taliban took control of Afghanistan's capital, Kabul, after a major insurgent offensive that began in May 2021. This marked the end of a two-decade-long US-led campaign in Afghanistan and the collapse of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan under President Ashraf Ghani.

The Taliban's takeover of Kabul sparked chaos and violence in the city. Desperate Afghans fearing the return of the Taliban's brutal rule rushed to Kabul's Hamid Karzai International Airport, attempting to flee the country. The airport perimeter was secured by US forces, who, alongside UK forces, were evacuating embassy staff and personnel, as well as thousands of Afghans, particularly those who had assisted US-led forces. Images and videos of the chaos and desperation at the airport shocked the world, drawing comparisons to the US evacuation from Saigon at the end of the Vietnam War.

The Taliban's takeover of Kabul also sparked violence in the city. There were reports of looting in parts of the city, including in upscale neighbourhoods, and residents were advised to stay indoors and lock their gates. The Taliban also began searching for Afghan government workers and human rights activists, going door-to-door to find them.

The fall of Kabul marked the end of a 20-year war in Afghanistan and was a total victory for the Taliban. However, it also sparked a humanitarian crisis, with a quarter of a million people, mostly women, fleeing their homes in 2021. The United Nations had been warning of signs of a humanitarian catastrophe in Afghanistan for months.

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