Taliban Victory Parade: celebrating total control of Afghanistan

As the last US troops leave Afghanistan, the Taliban tighten their grip on the Afghan people. Parading with US weapons, machines, and vehicles, the Taliban have declared victory and look to rule Afghanistan for the first time since 2001.

In August, United States President Joe Biden announced a total withdrawal of all US troops from Afghanistan, “American troops cannot and should not be fighting in a war and dying in a war that Afghan forces are not willing to fight for themselves.” Thus, the Taliban started their takeover. The President of Afghanistan, Ashraf Ghani, fled the country upon the Taliban’s arrival at the presidential palace. The Taliban now have total control of Afghanistan for the first time since 2001. There is no real resistance to them, and they know that. Showing off their new vehicles and weapons left behind by US troops, the Taliban has been holding parades and showing off.

First emerging in 1994, the Taliban have been a terrorist organization ruling with strict Islamic law. Also known as Sharia, Islamic Law is the legal system of Islam and a code of living that all Muslims should follow. Offences under Sharia law are intense and often are left up to the judge’s decision. For example, the punishment for theft might be amputation of the hand.

The Taliban’s new advanced weapons were left behind by the US troops and the Afghanistan army. The US removed their planes and heavy weapons during the withdrawal, but couldn’t remove everything. The Afghanistan army retreated upon the Taliban’s advancements, leaving behind US-made vehicles, which the Taliban now possess. The US estimates $83 billion of equipment has been given to the Afghanistan army since 2001. Photos of the Taliban with helicopters, trucks, Humvees, guns, night-vision goggles, and other advanced weapons surfaced recently.

The Taliban banned women from attending school, working jobs outside of healthcare, and had many other restrictions. If they didn’t follow their rules, they were executed. And even though the Taliban spokesman promised to honor women’s rights, just recently, Taliban fighters were caught on video using sticks and whips against women protesting in Kabul. Another picture surfaced of two men showing their wounds from the Taliban.

Over the years, the Taliban have engaged in cultural genocide, and according to the UN, they are responsible for roughly 76-80% of civilian casualties from 2010-2012. And since the Taliban takeover, millions of Afghan citizens could run out of food prior to winter, and 1 million children are at risk of death and starvation. Other services in Afghanistan are nearing a total collapse and homelessness is rising dramatically.

Citizens from the United States and around the world are demanding accountability. Many Americans put the blame on US President Joe Biden. Others blame former US President Donald Trump. Some even believe that the collapse of Afghanistan was inevitable. Representative Bob Gibbs of Ohio, along with three other house republicans, filed articles of impeachment for President Biden on his handling of the Afghanistan situation. Regardless, there seems to be no current threat to the Taliban’s control of Afghanistan, and none coming anytime soon.