Afghanistan: Mission Accomplished

[Pickman's model]

Brzezinski Interview | David N. Gibbs

dgibbs.arizona.edu

So Brzezinski is not the only source, Robert Gates also said it happened.

Thank you

 

[StoneRoad]

Pleased that at least some Afghan women have escaped ...

The women who escaped Afghanistan to get an education

Over three years since the Taliban takeover and restrictions on women, we hear from those studying abroad.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[Protag]

I see that The Observer is still whining about Afghanistan:

Whine

Their abrupt withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021 triggered the collapse of the Afghan government under which the situation for women and girls was improving.

Yup, the Bourgeois Bohemians want that progressive icon, The United States, to protect us. Biden is not doing enough Empiring!

It's quite surprising really, because even that foaming-at-the-mouth Ziocon lunatic Douglas Murray doesn't keep banging on about this - I guess he is more concerned with Israel and it's "security" than yesterday's wars.

 

[Gramsci]

Afghanistan: Babies dying as malnutrition disaster unfolds

Acute malnutrition, which has ravaged Afghanistan for decades, has reached an unprecedented level.

www.bbc.com

BBC report from Afghanistan on babies dying of malnutrition.

Since war ended and Taliban took over it's got worse

Funding has been cut. No direct aid to the government as it's run by Taliban.

Aid agencies have problems with there due to Taliban rules on working with women

On the world service the reporter added that local Taliban are more flexible than the leadership. The top leadership are sending out edicts on women etc. They are hard line.

Working with local Taliban some agencies are able to work with women.

 

[StoneRoad]

Further reporting

Taliban ban Afghanistan women from raising voices

The new law, banning women from raising their voice in public, is the latest crushing women's rights.

www.bbc.co.uk

What can "we" do ?

 

[TopCat]

Further reporting

Taliban ban Afghanistan women from raising voices

The new law, banning women from raising their voice in public, is the latest crushing women's rights.

www.bbc.co.uk

What can "we" do ?

Offer aid in exchange for reforms.

 

[Yuwipi Woman]

Offer aid in exchange for reforms.

I have my doubts that would work. For one thing dealing with the Taliban is risky. And, even if negotiations are successful, they have a history of ignoring the terms.

Here's an article on the current state of aid:

Last week, the U.S. Special Inspector General for Afghan Reconstruction (SIGAR) released its 63rd quarterly report, providing an update on U.S. assistance to Afghanistan. In the extended wake of the August 2021 withdrawal of Western forces, subsequent collapse of the Republic government, and the Taliban’s rise to power, these reports have shifted in focus but remain valuable troves of information on a country that has fallen far from U.S. headlines.

The United States, SIGAR notes, “remains the largest donor to the Afghan people.” Since August 2021, $17.19 billion in assistance has been made available to Afghanistan and Afghan refugee programs. This includes $2.8 billion in appropriations for Afghanistan, around $10.8 billion in funding for Defense and State programs including Operation Allies Welcome and Enduring Welcome aimed at bringing and settling Afghan allies in the U.S., and $3.5 billion in frozen Afghan Central Bank assets transferred to the Fund for the Afghan People (which has, to date, made no disbursements).

The $2.8 billion in appropriations for Afghanistan assistance is primarily directed to the “humanitarian” funding category, with assistance in all categories – humanitarian, development, agency operations, and security – falling precipitously since October 2021. For example, of the $2.8 billion more than half, $1.6 billion, was allocated in fiscal year 2022 (which began in October 2021). In FY2024 only $277 million was funded.

SIGAR’s report dives into specific programs, which is well worth perusing to understand the breadth and scope of assistance efforts – and which efforts have fallen by the wayside as budgets contract. For example, all of the USAID education programs listed in the report ceased to receive funding after FY2022. The USAID programs that continue to have funding into FY2024 include a handful of health programs, one focused on new disease early warning systems and another on urban health; as well as an economic growth program focused on export-oriented competitiveness.

The difficulties in engaging with the Taliban, and concerns about funding being misappropriated if transferred to Taliban control, depress opportunities to work on even humanitarian issues. Taliban policies limiting women’s ability to work are also damaging to these efforts.

What Is the State of US Assistance to Afghanistan and Afghans?

The U.S. remains the largest donor to the Afghan people, though funding has certainly dwindled since 2021.

thediplomat.com

Pre-invasion days I know there were programs that smuggled schoolbooks in so that women could continue their education in secret. I wonder if there's any current efforts?

 

[TopCat]

I have my doubts that would work. For one thing dealing with the Taliban is risky. And, even if negotiations are successful, they have a history of ignoring the terms.

Here's an article on the current state of aid:

What Is the State of US Assistance to Afghanistan and Afghans?

The U.S. remains the largest donor to the Afghan people, though funding has certainly dwindled since 2021.

thediplomat.com

Pre-invasion days I know there were programs that smuggled schoolbooks in so that women could continue their education in secret. I wonder if there's any current efforts?

So you think making a deal won’t work and small scale smuggling is the way forward?

When did the Taliban renage on agreements? They didn’t make many but as far as I know have stuck to the deals they made.

 

[Yuwipi Woman]

So you think making a deal won’t work and small scale smuggling is the way forward?

When did the Taliban renage on agreements? They didn’t make many but as far as I know have stuck to the deals they made.

I believe they had agreed to hold off on taking Kabul until the US troops were out as part of Trump's deal. They also agreed to respect women's right to education in a video. I've seen video of this where the person making this statement couldn't contain his laughter.

Trump, for his part, removed so many troops that there wasn't any way to hold the base. And, Biden insisted on keeping with the timetable regardless. A grand mess all the way around.

 

[klang]

Fwiw, the UN gives financial support to health facilities in houthi controlled areas in north yemen.
This is despite previous kidnappings of international aid staff, broken promises, violations of human rights, and the houthi's islamic agenda...

 

[klang]

The latest round of funding secured 340000 dollars for health care in al bayda region

 

[klang]

This week

 

[StoneRoad]

further regression as the taliban rework previously settled cases according to their interpretation of islam
the beeb lead this with a divorced child bride that the taliban wanted to return - by force - to their newly minted member.

A child bride won the right to divorce - now the Taliban say it doesn't count

The Taliban have been revisiting rulings made under the US-backed government, overturning thousands of cases.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[StoneRoad]

Yet more repression on women under the Taliban.
Not being allowed to speak, or pray [recite the Koran]
No sign of being allowed any education ... despite "promises"

Taliban Add a New Ban on Women’s Voices in Afghanistan - Afghanistan Times

KABUL - In a shocking escalation of restrictions, the Taliban’s Minister for the Promotion of Virtue

www.afghanistantimes.media

 

[CNT36]

Offer aid in exchange for reforms.

Not an argument against but I wouldn't be surprised if at least some in the Taliban have an eye on this each time they make life for women there a bit more shit.

 

[StoneRoad]

And yet more repression ...
one that will have adverse impact on reproductive health - both maternal & infant mortality Will rise significantly !

Afghanistan: Women suspended from midwife and nurse training

Women at training colleges across the country were told they are not allowed to return to class.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[Sue]

I see that The Observer is still whining about Afghanistan:

Whine



Yup, the Bourgeois Bohemians want that progressive icon, The United States, to protect us. Biden is not doing enough Empiring!

It's quite surprising really, because even that foaming-at-the-mouth Ziocon lunatic Douglas Murray doesn't keep banging on about this - I guess he is more concerned with Israel and it's "security" than yesterday's wars.

You specifically quote this, presumably as an example of this 'whining':

Their abrupt withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021 triggered the collapse of the Afghan government under which the situation for women and girls was improving.

What 's your point?

 

[skyscraper101]

And yet more repression ...
one that will have adverse impact on reproductive health - both maternal & infant mortality Will rise significantly !

Afghanistan: Women suspended from midwife and nurse training

Women at training colleges across the country were told they are not allowed to return to class.

www.bbc.co.uk

This is ridiculous.

Midwifery and nursing are also one of the only careers women can pursue under the Taliban government's restrictions on women - a vital one, as male medics are not allowed to treat women unless a male guardian is present.

So if a woman is suffering/dying from something that needs urgent medical attention, the only remaining medical staff (male) won't even be allowed to treat them by law until a 'male guardian' arrives.

It's an unbelievably fucked up system.

 

[Yossarian]

A look at how the US lost Afghanistan to the Taliban by relying on militias that were worse than the Taliban

For years, the Americans helped recruit, train and pay for lawless bands of militias that pillaged homes and laid waste to entire communities. The militias tortured civilians, kidnapped for ransom, massacred dozens in vendetta killings and razed entire villages, sowing more than a decade of hatred toward the Afghan government and its American allies.

The Afghan Army, already overwhelmed, recognized that it was defending a government with vanishingly little support. So, when the advancing Taliban offered Afghan soldiers a choice — their lives for their weapons — they lay down arms.

https://archive.ph/GfCJ3