Afghanistan, After the Fall – Timothy Ham

by Timothy Ham, special to RINewsToday

Sunday morning Jalalabad city fell to the Taliban, the Provincial Capital of Nangahar province, another major capitol. Later in the day, Talib forces encircled Kabul. First, the finance minister announced his resignation and left, as the Taliban controlled all the Customs offices at border crossings, and there was no longer money to run the government, other than donor funding.  Then President Ashraf Ghani decided to spare himself and Kabul a last-minute battle, heeded his advisors and the input of several international parties, resigned, and left for a neighboring central Asian country. Taliban forces entered the city and the Presidential Palace, posing for photos and video for Aljazeera reporters and cameras.

Speaking with a colleague from Herat today, he reported that local Talib commanders said that Herat University with its 10,500 students, one third women, could continue to hold classes, as long as only women teachers taught women students, and male students were taught by men, and there were no mixed gender classes. For now, women could treat women at health clinics, but not men and vice versa. So, some level of stability may prevail, but no one knows about what future edicts will be issued from Herat or Kabul. Can women go out on their own or will they require a male relative accompanying them? Can girls go to elementary, middle, or high school? No word on this yet. Can women continue to work and if so, under what conditions?  It will be made up as they go along. Younger women have never known what it is like to exist under the stringent laws, much less Sharia rules and law.

I am anxious for my friends in Herat and for the country. My emotions are as they were when I watched the attack on 9/11, unable to do anything to prevent it or to respond to it. Two months later, I was in Amman Jordan on a USAID funded project to work with new export companies to help them expand their markets. Perhaps working in the business community would be one way I could make a contribution? This would later bring me to Afghanistan for nearly two years on three different projects. Now, all I can do is continue to work on Special Immigration Visa applications for my friends, nearly 7,000 miles away.

For now, no mass killings, no reports from Herat of arrests of those who worked with the US or Afghan government or served as leaders in provincial ministries. What will tomorrow hold?  Have other provinces seen killings of Afghans working as US translators or staff? The information will come out slowly.

The Stars and Stripes was lowered from the Embassy flagpole on Sunday and taken by Ambassador Ross Wilson a little over 4 miles to the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul where he and a small group would attempt to continue their diplomatic roles of the Embassy. The US military forces provide for their security, and will continue to evacuate Embassy staff, and other Americans. Some say they will also start evacuation of Afghans and families who either have or will meet the requirements for the Special Immigration Visas provided to those who have worked for the US Government, military, or contractors. This could be as many as 40-50,000 people.  So far, the only center for these Afghans has been a camp in Virginia. If they are successful at getting them out, they may settle them on other locations outside the US to stage those for processing the applications and arranging placements in the US.

Where does it go from here?  A high-level committee including former President Hamid Karzai is being formed to work with the Taliban on a peaceful transition. The Taliban say they will do a better job of managing the government than they did from 1996-2001. Many have said do not listen to what the Taliban leaders say, watch what they do.  Perhaps this is the most reasonable thing to do at this time – wait and see, and remain anxious for our friends in Afghanistan and for the country.

Timothy Ham is a 1974 graduate of Providence College who worked in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, and Jordan on USAID funded efforts.

To read Tim’s first article, go here: https://rinewstoday.com/afghanistan-past-and-present-tim-ham/