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2021-08-30 Afghanistan
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How Kabul lives under the Taliban: myths and reality
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Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
by Alexander Kots
[KP] Life in the Afghan capital changed dramatically after the Taliban came to power.
Continued from Page 2
After all, the American war propaganda machine can be surprisingly resourceful when it is really pinned up in the wall. Last Saturday, the Pentagon denied the US State Department, saying there was only one explosion during the attack at Kabul airport. The explosion of the car near the Baron hotel in the US zone of responsibility (the hotel is adjacent to the airport - Ed.) Seemed to everyone. There was only one suicide bomber and an unidentified number of accomplices with small arms - from machine guns, they say, and killed the bulk of the Afghans.
Surprisingly, prior to this announcement, none of the survivors had mentioned the mysterious shooters. On the other hand, in interviews with local media, the wounded and doctors of Kabul hospitals said that the shooting was indeed carried out, but by the American military guarding the inner perimeter of the airfield. If these testimonies are to be believed, it turns out that the US military, out of fears of a breach of the security zone by other suicide bombers, opened fire on unarmed people, playing into the hands of ISIS, which claimed responsibility for the attack. And to divert suspicion from themselves, they came up with a version with armed accomplices.
Looking for professionals
- I have been saying for a long time that ISIS is present in Afghanistan, but the United States has always repeated that both the Islamic State * and Al-Qaeda * have been destroyed. The explosions proved that this is not the case. And I would not separate these two organizations. The ISIS leader who was killed in Iraq lived in the area on 15th Street. If he was not associated with Al-Qaeda, he would not have been able to live here, - ex-MP Said Ishak Gilani.
My interlocutor is a real Afghan intellectual with several higher educations. We are sitting in his office, located in the basement, and it seems that this is no coincidence - it may well serve as a bomb shelter. In one part of the office there is a huge library with bookshelves from floor to ceiling, in the other - a work desk. Old guns and sabers hang on the walls. The house itself is located in the embassy quarter and is surrounded by numerous security locks with tall fences and massive metal gates. Over the 20 years of the Americans' stay, the level of security in the capital has dropped to a critically low level. Said Ishaq Gilani is the leader of the Afghan followers of Sufism, and among his murids - including members of the Taliban *.
- In the current conditions of the new government, it will probably be difficult to build a state. This is, to put it mildly, a different level of management, - I say to my interlocutor.
- They will definitely create something, but they will not be able to do something good alone. The Taliban need to use educated Afghans to bring the state system up to international standards. If the Taliban do not raise themselves to the international level, their government, then there will be big problems. And they themselves are unlikely to be able to do this without the recognition of the international community. And in this case, all this will turn into problems for the people.
- The Americans here have been trying to build a new Afghan nation for 20 years, allocating billions of dollars for this, but this victory of the Taliban is probably impossible without the great support of ordinary people, without the support of this very people?
- The main reason is the corrupt government, Ghani and 4-5 people with him. They stole all the money. For the military, they did not give any salary, nor money for food, nor for the treatment of the wounded, nor for vacations, nor to help the families of those killed. All this led to the fact that the army was extremely dissatisfied with the government. So when the Taliban came and said, "We don't want anyone to die for Ghani," the army did not resist. But huge funds were allocated, and not only by the Americans, but by all NATO countries. But they never asked the government where the money was going. In addition, they never respected the opinion of the people, they always wanted only that their person was planted here. Each time John Kerry came, picked up a man and said: "Here he will be the president." Firstly, it has always been completely illegal, and secondly,
Female faces
Kabul does not look very much like a city taken over by terrorists. You trudge in a blind traffic jam, you are overtaken by motley pedestrians right on the road. From a nearby car, oriental music sounds, seemingly banned by the Taliban the other day. On my last visit in 2013, I was at the studio of the Afghan rock band Kabul Dreams. The guys played quite decent grunge, gathered hundreds of people at concerts in Kabul, but did not go on tour around the country. Perhaps for performances at American bases and outposts. They were invited there for exotics on holidays.
- Today's youth is oriented towards the West. Everyone has learned English, and Russia does not have the influence it used to have. We are trying to look at the world in a different way, - the leader of the group, Suleiman Kardash, told me then, who measured his life and work from the only significant milestone - the departure of the Taliban. According to social media, the group went abroad. In present-day Afghanistan, it would obviously not be in demand.
However, much of what is written about today's Kabul is greatly exaggerated. A couple of photographs can give the impression that the Taliban have no more important task now than painting over women's faces on advertising posters. To be honest, I have not seen any such art. But there are more than enough untouched billboards and graffiti depicting women. And some ladies with open faces walk the streets quite freely - no one hits them with stones. And in deaf "cloaks" from head to toe and with a net instead of eyes, ten percent appears here. However, the capital is not an indicator. And sometimes news comes from the regions, one worse than the other. Only it is difficult to verify them.
Not all women on the streets of Kabul wear the burqa.
Somewhere a woman was beaten to death for refusing to cook, somewhere a former employee of the republican security service was shot ... The German newspaper Deutsche Welle said that the Taliban killed one and wounded another relative of their employee who had escaped from Afghanistan. At the political level, the new authorities declare almost liberal values, but it is probably impossible to control the actions of the lower levels, accustomed to living in their cruel world. Cannibals will always prove themselves while the authorities try to look vegetarian.
“We used to have a corrupt government, but now it is backward and unskilled,” a local journalist tells me, who asked not to be named. - The Taliban do not like to listen to smart people. They like to talk more themselves. They either do not understand all international rules, laws, norms, or do not respect them at all. Now they are happy, they are on the wave, they like that they are all in arms, they like these cars, they drive back and forth, they feel themselves as owners. But what will happen if our state does not recognize the international community? Some of them understand this, but the main part does not think about the consequences at all. I don't think this government will have a long life, unless, of course, they make some changes inside, with the involvement of professionals.
- But the professionals have probably already been smeared with power in the past.
- We have a lot of educated Afghans who did not like Ghani - here, in Europe, and in America. They would gladly contribute to the development of the country.
By the way, about the journalists. Another myth is about the ban on television. Yes, entertainment programs have disappeared from the grid, but the news is still broadcast. Moreover, in the first days after the seizure of power, mainly women reporters worked on the air, including from the streets of the city. The Taliban are demonstrating their herbivorousness to the world.
"They would shoot"
I approached the militants on the street. One stood with a sophisticated machine gun.
“This is an American machine gun with a laser designator,” boasts Muhibullah Hangar of the Taliban Security Directorate. “We captured this weapon from the Afghan army when we came here.
“I am proud that I serve in this particular unit in the name of Allah, I serve the Taliban and the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (as the Taliban call the country they have captured - Ed.),” Mumin Nizami from the Taliban's Red Regiment chirps to me hoarsely.
He is from the province of Logar, claims that he was a neighbor of ex-President Ghani - they lived in the same village. Fighting since 2002. He does not differ in eloquence, but oratory is not his profile either. In the city, he stands as part of a checkpoint, provides security. Most often this is expressed in the creation of the appearance of presence. It works.
- I am ready to follow any instructions that come from the commander. In Kabul, the main task of units from different provinces is to ensure the safety of the city and people. We do not interfere with the population, the population does not interfere with us. A general amnesty has been declared and the people of Afghanistan welcome us.
Without a camera, the fighters at the post say that all fellow citizens who collaborated with the Americans are collaborators and traitors. And they would love to be shot. But the authorities ordered not to touch anyone, and the authorities knew better. The residents of Kabul do not seem to be at all embarrassed by the new neighborhood. Although the arrival of the new government affects everyone. Someone sees the pluses, someone the minuses, someone - both.
What to expect next
“For me, the greatest joy is that security is provided around the clock,” a man tells me on one of the streets of Kabul. - There is no more theft and looting. Yesterday two thieves were caught here, who were trading with a knife and a pistol, and they attacked the driver of the car. Sharia court awaits them. Thieves and marauders are now afraid. Previously, if you had 200 Afghanis in your pocket ($ 2.5 - Ed.), They could kill for them. Now this is not the case.
- I have a small workshop for the production and repair of refrigerators for large stores, supermarkets. We are waiting for the situation to stabilize. Because now, unfortunately, there are no orders, no income, we pay for rent out of our own pocket. Hope for the future, says another.
- Has life changed greatly with the advent of the new government?
- As for security, the changes are colossal for the better. But there are no orders and no work - this is bad. There is a large sports club for young people on the second floor. Previously, many people went there to practice karate and judo. And now - only five people come. Also, incomes are falling.
The director of the gym, Ustad Vasi Kayumi, lists for a long time the names of the champions in wrestling, karate and other martial arts who started in this gym. And he complains that with the arrival of the Taliban, young people are still afraid to come to training.
- Our athletes have participated in the world championships, and in the Olympics, and in Russia several times. Nowadays there are really few people walking, mostly sitting at home. But when the new government is announced, hopefully the clients will return.
- Will the Taliban ban sports? Music has already been banned.
- No, sport is also a kind of religion. In addition, I talked with the new Minister of Sports, he gave the go-ahead, said: "Please, keep going." But, to be honest, there are still fears that there will be some contradictions with the new government. Although so far it seems to have been allowed.
- Are you from France? - a young Afghan with good English looks at the tricolor. He came up to me when I was filming an elderly shopkeeper. I turned the camera on the guy.
- From Russia. How is life under the new government?
- It doesn't matter, the situation is complicated. You know that the country fell before these terrorists, - the guy unexpectedly gives out. One of these terrorists is standing about five meters from him, but clearly does not know the language. - The airport is closed and we cannot leave the country. Life has gotten harder. We don't go to universities and schools as we used to. There is not enough food, there is a shortage of electricity.
- Didn't you try to fly away?
- Of course we tried to get on the US evacuation flights. My father worked for the American Embassy for many years. He lived in America for seven years, but he came back to pick us up. And he stayed. He tried to get help, but he couldn't. And after the terrorist attack, he no longer goes there. It's too dangerous.
- Why, in your opinion, the Americans did not take you?
- Many problems. But it's not just about us. There are a lot of people who want to leave the country. But we all remain here in Afghanistan. And I don't know what to expect next.
Instead of an afterword
And this is perhaps the most honest answer to the question about the future of Afghanistan. On the one hand, before the international recognition of the Taliban government, it is not up to them to carry out mass executions at the Kabul stadium. After all, recognition is both flows of monetary aid, and opportunities for economic interaction with the world, and the prospects for the country's development. Given the Taliban’s attitude toward corruption, it’s likely that the money will not go into the pockets of the new government. But this requires professionals who are not partisan at all.
On the other hand, no one can guarantee that after recognition the Taliban will not begin to slowly tighten the screws, taking control of information flows, including in social networks. And at some point they will forget about the amnesty. We remember the Taliban, who recognized the independence of Ichkeria, trained militants to be sent to the Russian Caucasus and supplied militants in Chechnya with portable anti-aircraft missile systems. We will see what the Taliban 2.0 will be like in the near future.* Terrorist organizations banned in the Russian Federation.
Aleksandr Kots is a Russian military journalist 
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Posted by badanov 2021-08-30 00:00||
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