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Afghanistan: Mission Accomplished

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.
 

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.
 
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.


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?
 
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:




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.
 
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.
 
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...
 
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