The USA, Germany and other nations are panicking to evacuate their citizens from Kabul. Left behind: the Afghans themselves. With Kabul, the last free enclave in the country has fallen – and neighboring countries are closing their borders. A country becomes a prison.
The scenes that took place in Kabul yesterday were dramatic and frightening. When it became clear that the first Taliban had penetrated the outskirts of the Afghan capital, panic broke out. People barricaded their shops. They ran to the banks to put at least part of their savings in safety. And finally tried to get out of town in cars, buses, bicycles and motorcycles, on foot or on donkey carts. Away, just away from the Taliban.
Path. But where to?
While the USA flew their embassy staff and international helpers in heavy Chinook helicopters to the still secured international airport, from there on with military aircraft to Tashkent in Uzbekistan, there was and is no way out for the vast majority of Afghans. Their country becomes a prison for them – with the Taliban as overseers.
Until the weekend, Kabul was the last safe haven for fleeing Afghans. The country’s big cities were like dominoes, Herat, Kandahar, Mazar-i-Sharif, and finally Jalalabad, too, had fallen into the hands of the Taliban. Mostly without a fight – the Afghan soldiers apparently did not see why they should give their lives for a cause that the West had long since given up.
Kabul was the salvation – so far
Every time the Islamists gained ground, more people tried to get to Kabul. Tent camps formed on wastelands in the outskirts, men, women and children slept in the parks or simply on the streets of the city. Tens of thousands are likely to have come to the capital in the last few weeks alone – and Kabul, with its four million inhabitants, was already a city overcrowded with refugees.
With the Taliban coming to power, there is no longer a safe enclave in the country. It is true that the Islamists do not want to take revenge – but apparently very few believe that.
In recent years, Iran and especially Pakistan have been the first targets of Afghans fleeing abroad. There are an estimated 1.5 million Afghan refugees living in Pakistan alone. The mood towards them became increasingly hostile – a bitter irony: After all, Pakistan is one of the main supporters of the Taliban, and many of their leaders have housed their families here.
The border is sealed off
Now the government in Islamabad has announced that it will not accept any further refugees. Only a few days ago a fence was also completed along the border.
The focus is more and more on Iran as a way out. So far, around 800,000 Afghan refugees have been living here. Entire companies of the Afghan army including equipment had also fled here in the past few days. For more than 40 years, Iran has hosted Afghan displaced persons with astonishing openness, also because the Taliban are not seen as partners but as geostrategic competitors for the mullahs in Tehran.
In addition, Iran is developing into an important transit country. It is 2000 kilometers from the Iranian-Afghan border to Turkey; the route, which the refugees often cover for the most part on foot, is an ordeal. Nonetheless, the number of refugees picked up by Turkish border guards is steadily increasing. According to estimates, it should now be between 500 and 2000 every day. Your destination is mostly Europe.
“Migration Policy Consequences”
The Turkish authorities have now announced that they want to increase border controls. German politicians are also already worried about the, as SPD foreign politician Niels Annen put it, “migration policy consequences”.
A euphemism that suppresses what drives people to flee. The return of a brutal regime of Stone Age Islamism – and the West’s refusal to stand up to it any longer.
David William is a talented author who has made a name for himself in the world of writing. He is a professional author who writes on a wide range of topics, from general interest to opinion news. David is currently working as a writer at 24 hours worlds where he brings his unique perspective and in-depth research to his articles, making them both informative and engaging.
