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Afghans Mark 5 Years Under Taliban 08/14 06:38
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) -- As Afghanistan's Taliban rulers mark five years
since sweeping back to power, some Kabul residents say they feel safer after
decades of conflict and upheaval but stress the leaders should now focus on
creating jobs and expanding access to schools in the country where girls above
the age of 12 are banned from education.
The Taliban regained control of Afghanistan on Aug. 15, 2021, after it
launched an offensive as the U.S. and other NATO troops withdrew from the
country after two decades of war. The withdrawal led to chaotic scenes at and
around Kabul's airport with thousands wanting to leave.
"Thank God, the past five years have passed in safety," said Mohammad Qasim,
30, reflecting on the anniversary that comes against a backdrop of economic
hardship in a conflict-stricken country. "Our wish and hope from the government
is to create job opportunities for the youth."
"We, along with the entire nation, call upon the government to create
employment opportunities for the youth and to encourage them to pursue
education," he added.
Taliban curbs women's rights despite pledge
Before the takeover, the Taliban stated that, upon assuming power, it would
allow women access to education, employment and public participation, albeit in
accordance with its interpretation of Islamic principles.
Soon after it seized power, the Taliban imposed an indefinite ban on girls'
education beyond the sixth grade and, a few months later, also banned higher
education for women until "further notice."
Women also were banned from entering gyms, parks and public baths, from
taking part in sports and traveling to distant locations without a "mahram," or
male guardian.
Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid has repeatedly said the
administration is working to establish conditions under which girls and women
can attend classrooms or university campuses in line with Islamic Sharia laws.
The restrictions, nevertheless, remain in force.
While the U.N. has acknowledged that the country has become more stable
since the takeover, it has warned that lasting stability cannot be possible
unless the Taliban rulers -- who remain isolated internationally -- lift
restrictions on women and girls, protect basic rights and address terrorism
concerns.
"A reduction in conflict has brought tangible benefits for many Afghans and
created opportunities to focus on recovery, development and regional economic
cooperation," the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, or UNAMA,
said in a statement ahead of the anniversary. It added, however, that the
restrictions on women and girls impede Afghanistan's recovery and its
reintegration with the international community.
UN says Afghanistan in world's most severe women's rights crisis
In a statement this week, the U.N.'s agency on women's rights, said Afghan
women and girls are living under the world's most severe restrictions, which
not only violate their rights but also threaten the country's social and
economic future.
"Half a decade after the Taliban takeover in August 2021, Afghanistan has
systematically dismantled the rights of half its population, making it a global
outlier with no parallel in the modern world," U.N. Women said.
"In the past year alone, this exclusion of women and girls from education,
employment, public life, justice systems and healthcare has only intensified,
entrenching what remains the world's most severe women's rights crisis," it
said.
Fazila Soroush, a 39-year-old Kabul-based entrepreneur and an advocate for
women's rights, said the government had "demonstrated its worth to the people
through its actions in every area."
"We consider it essential that the officials of the Islamic Emirate who had
announced the closure of schools and universities until further notice, now
make a clear and practical decision regarding this matter," she said.
In the streets of Kabul, preparations for the anniversary celebrations were
underway. Vendors sold the Taliban's white with black scripted flags while
painters were busy writing slogans in praise of Islamic laws on walls,
including: "The Islamic system has been achieved at the cost of the martyrs'
blood" and "Our commitment stands firm: Consolidation and implementation of
Islamic Sharia."
Taliban says it brought security and stability
Molvi Hayatullah Mahajar Farahi, deputy minister in the Taliban government
for broadcasting at the Ministry of Information and culture, said in the five
years the administration has delivered security, stabilized the currency,
improved infrastructure and formed industrial parks that have created jobs.
"Naturally, challenges and difficulties exist, yet we can highlight several
accomplishments," Farahi told The Associated Press.
Farahi, when asked, did not address the issue of the education of girls and
women but said "the level of investment made in universities surpasses anything
seen in the past.
"The Emirate continues its efforts to further organize and improve services
for our citizens in the fields of education and other sectors," he stated.
The deputy minister rejected a U.N. report that documented terrorist
networks in Afghanistan, saying "these are merely enemy propaganda, spread to
portray the country as unstable."
Asked to comment about its international isolation, Farahi insisted the
Taliban government was engaged with some 40 countries. The Taliban government
currently is only formally recognized by Russia.
"The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has fulfilled all the requirements
necessary for official recognition. It is now up to the international community
and others to step forward and take the appropriate action," he said.
UN points at broader educational crisis
The bans have left an estimated 2.4 million girls excluded from secondary
education, UNESCO, the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization,
said this week -- a 200,000 increase from last year. The restrictions have
reversed two decades of progress that Afghanistan had made in education, the
agency said.
Pointing at a broader educational crisis, the agency said 53% of primary
school-aged children are out of school. Schools lack basic infrastructure such
as water, sanitation or heating, while natural disasters have also led to
hundreds of school closures.
Meanwhile, the U.N. World Food Program said child malnutrition has reached
critical levels in a third of Afghanistan's provinces and is expected to worsen
as funding shortfalls force cuts in food distributions and other support.
In Kabul, Dost Mohammad Khan expressed support for the Taliban
administration, saying the past five years have brought stability. He said
however, that the country needs trained professionals such as doctors and
engineers, urging the authorities to keep "all sectors operational."
"We also call upon the Islamic Emirate to permit women to attend school
under the sharia dress code and we urge the public to heed the directives of
the Emirate also," said the 38-year-old.
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