I’m embarrassed to ask about Afghanistan after this long, but could you explain some basics?
A helpful overview of how we got to this point and how Canada is involved.
Hey there, and welcome to the 45th issue of The Supplement, a newsletter that fills in the gaps of your other news intake. This is Sierra, one-third of the Supplement team!
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This week, we’re tackling this question: I’m embarrassed to ask about Afghanistan after this long, but could you explain some basics?
TL;DR: Let’s start here (because this is what my non-journalist sisters say they understand). The US came into Afghanistan after the September 11 attacks and overthrew the Taliban. The US withdrew its troops after two decades, and the Taliban has now taken back control of the country. The Taliban are trying to ease fears of what to expect from their rule — such as by vowing to respect women and not let the country be a harbour for terror organizations — but concrete progress remains to be seen.
By this point in time, you must have seen a constant flow of stories about the situation in Afghanistan, the “20-year war,” and heartbreaking testimonies. But it has come to our attention that some people out there are still in need of a more simple breakdown — not EVERYTHING you need to know, but the important things so you can get a handle on the story and read more.
Where did the Taliban come from?
After the turmoil of Soviet forces withdrawing from Afghanistan in the late 1980s to prop up communist powers, the Taliban rose in the mid 90s. The Soviets were defeated by groups of Islamist fighters who were supported by the US (read: this was a cold war). After their victory, these groups began fighting for power, causing civil war. The Taliban eventually took control of most of the country, leading with a harsh interpretation of the Sharia Law.
Currently, they are building their government, and have elected an all-male cabinet of longtime loyalists.
Why did the US enter, and why did they leave?
Enter: Within a few weeks of the September 11, 2001 attack on New York’s Twin Towers, then-US President George W Bush launched a mission to invade Afghanistan for harbouring al-Qaeda and refusing to hand over Osama bin Laden. The US ultimately overthrew the Taliban, which had been the Afghan government since 1996.
Canada also joined in as part of an international coalition. You can take a look back at how Canadian media helped create an environment where people begged for war.
Leave: There have been multiple timelines set out for the US to leave the country, dating back to Barack Obama’s presidency. It had been a major expense on the US in both dollars ($2.26 trillion) and lives (2,300 members of the US military). More on this below. And remember when Donald Trump reached a peace deal with the Taliban? Current President Joe Biden had announced in April his plan to withdraw troops by Sept. 11, and stuck to his decision, he says, without regret.
But with a looming humanitarian crisis, there are still a lot of unanswered questions about the future.
Here is one long post-9/11 timeline that helps fill in the massive gaps we left, and here’s a timeline that looks further into Afghanistan’s history.
How has this affected Afghanistan?
The people of Afghanistan have survived a lot. The Costs of War Project estimates that 241,000 people in total have died as a direct result of this war, not including the lives lost by lack of food, water and medicine. Almost 50,000 of those lives are Afghan civilians. The UN calculates there to be about 2.5 million refugees from Afghanistan last year, down from 3.8 million in 2001. (Buzzfeed has a larger round-up here). As the Taliban took over, the country was (and is) facing hunger, closed banks, and a collapsing healthcare and education system.
How is Canada involved in this?
Canada formally left Afghanistan in 2014, but recently provided humanitarian aid and took in refugees during the current crisis. After the recent US withdrawal, over 1,200 people with connections to Canada were still in the country.
We had Afghan interpreters and staff who had helped our government and military and who would be vulnerable to Taliban reprisals — and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was under pressure to make sure they could leave safely, and questioned as to why he didn’t act sooner. But there are some who are at risk of being left behind, and some say they feel ashamed they helped Canada and are now forgotten.
Canada has chosen to not recognize the Taliban as a legitimate government, and still classifies them as a terrorist organization.
How can I help?
To help people settle in Canada, find a local service or email afghaniresettlement@ccislive.ca to connect with agencies
Donate to Women for Afghan Women
The International Rescue Committee helps those displaced by war
Here’s someone to follow:
Going to go outside of the ~words on a screen realm~ and suggest you to follow Kamil Karamali, A TV anchor at Global News. He recently got a new position out west (congrats!) and I can honestly say he is one of the new journos I keep on my socials because of the smart and quick news updates he provides through both Insta and Twitter. Check him out!
Here’s a story to check out:
Bitcoin uses more electricity than many countries, and The New York Times explains how. The concept of digital currency is simple, or complicated, depending who you ask (don’t worry, they explain). But no matter the answer you get, the amount of energy it consumes is mind-boggling. And finding a way to make it green is even harder to figure out. (And… follow the NYT Climate account while you’re at it.)
