As US troops left their main military base in Afghanistan on Friday, marking a symbolic end to the longest war in US history, locals living in the shadow of the base and in nearby Kabul were left ruing the past and bracing for what comes next.
Violence has been raging throughout Afghanistan in the weeks since US President Joe Biden announced that troops would withdraw unconditionally by Sept. 11.
With peace talks in Qatar stuttering and about one-quarter of the country’s districts having fallen to the Taliban in the past few weeks according to one study, many are concerned that chaos looms.
Photo: EPA-EFE
Malek Mir, a mechanic in Bagram who saw the Soviet and later the US militaries come and go, said that he was left with a deep sense of sadness at the futility of a foreign presence.
“They came with bombing the Taliban and got rid of their regime — but now they have left when the Taliban are so empowered that they will take over any time soon,” he said. “What was the point of all the destruction, killing and misery they brought us? I wish they had never come.”
More than 3,500 foreign troops have been killed in the two-decade war, which has claimed more than 100,000 civilian lives since 2009 alone, UN data showed.
However, some say that the presence of foreign troops distorted the Afghan economy and that it is time for the country to stand on its own.
“The Americans leave a legacy of failure, they’ve failed in containing the Taliban or corruption,” said Sayed Naqibullah, a shop owner in Bagram. “A small percentage of Afghans got so rich, while the vast majority still live with extreme poverty.”
“In a way, we’re happy they’ve gone,” he said. “We’re Afghans, and we’ll find our way.”
In the nearby capital, the news was a fresh reminder of the growing panic that has been gripping many parts of Afghan society, particularly in urban areas, since Biden in April announced the withdrawal.
“All the people are worried that if foreign forces leave Afghanistan, the Taliban will take over. Then what will we do?” asked Zumarai Wafa, a shopkeeper in Kabul.
Wafa and others described a slump in business and signs of many urban residents trying to flee the country, with hundreds lined up outside embassies seeking visas.
Twenty-two-year-old Muzhda, who studies medicine and asked to be identified by only one name for security reasons, said that her family had decided to leave the country because of the deterioration in security.
She said she wondered what future awaited women if the Taliban came back to power and restricted access to education for women, as they did during their previous time in power.
The Taliban say that they have changed and would make provisions for women’s rights in line with cultural traditions and religious rules.
However, Muzhda said that she feels bereft and let down by the US military’s departure.
“The withdrawal of foreign troops in the current situation is irrational,” she said. “It is now clear that the Americans came here for their own purposes, not to help and cooperate with Afghanistan.”
“I’m very sad and disappointed,” Muzhda said “I had many dreams that will not come true.”
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