US occupation ends with humiliation, Afghans say

KABUL: “The Americans invaded Afghanistan with arrogance, occupied the country for 20 years but went back home with humiliation after leaving Afghans in doldrums and disarray,” Safar Mohammad, a taxi driver, told Xinhua.

He made the remarks on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan, which ousted the previous Taliban regime for harbouring Osama bin Laden, the alleged mastermind of the 9/11 attacks.

The U.S. and allied nations invaded Afghanistan on October 7, 2001, and later installed a Washington-backed administration composed mostly from personalities educated in the U.S. and other Western countries.

“The outcome of the U.S. occupation of Afghanistan over the past 20 years and its irresponsible pullout is nothing more than extreme poverty and chaotic situation in the country,” Mohammad whispered with sorrow.

Lamenting the irresponsible U.S. forces withdrawal as the source of uncertainty, poverty and the current chaotic situation in Afghanistan, the depressed Mohammad spoke softly, “From dawn to dusk I drive my taxi on Kabul streets and hardly can earn to support my family.”

Blaming the U.S. futile invasion of Afghanistan for the current disorganised atmosphere, the taxi driver complained that some days he earns 100 afghani (around $1.1) and tumbling afghani against the US dollar by each passing day leads to inflation and raises the prices of basic needs.

Continued tumbling of the Afghan currency against foreign currencies especially the US dollar in a country where more than 70 per cent of its population live under poverty line would prove tragic, locals believe.

The United Nations had warned of humanitarian catastrophe following US-led forces’ withdrawal and deepening economic crisis in Afghanistan if humanitarian assistance was delayed.

Afghan conflicts had claimed the lives of more than 31,000 civilians and injured 62,000 others since 2009, according to Afghanistan Human Rights Commission.

Since Afghanistan’s takeover by the Taliban in August, the United States had frozen all assets of Afghanistan in its banks and the country was facing economic crisis as Afghans want to withdraw their capital but the banks cannot pay their deposits.

Some 5.5 million Afghans had been displaced due to the US-led war since 2012, and in 2021 alone, some 634,000 people had been displaced due to fighting in the country, according to official figures,

The US had ended its costly and longest war in its history on August 30 by evacuating of its last soldier in Afghanistan.

According to Afghans, the costly war in Afghanistan where large amounts of funds that were reportedly invested to rebuild the country and ensure lasting peace had been misused by Americans and their allies.

“Although billions of dollars had been contributed by international community including the United States of America to rebuild Afghanistan, the assistance had been embezzled by the corrupt officials of the then US-backed government and the current crisis is a clear proof to the fact,” 42-year-old Afghan woman Fauzia alleged angrily.

“The pointless occupation of Afghanistan has ended with the troops pullout but the war-weary Afghans would continue to suffer due to extreme poverty and uncertain future, which is the legacy of the aimless war,” Sayed Mohammad, a Kabul resident, said.