Afghanistan: How the Taliban are instrumentalizing 9/11

It is a show of force in the direction of Washington: On the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks in New York, the Taliban again hoisted their flag at the presidential palace in Kabul.

By Bernd Musch-Borowska, ARD Studio New Delhi

Twenty years after the terrorist attacks of September 11th, the white flag of the Taliban is again flying over the presidential palace in Kabul. The Islamists also painted their banner on the gate of the US embassy in Kabul with a verse from the Koran on a white background – they used the anniversary to humiliate the US. As a result of the events 20 years ago, they had invaded Afghanistan and overthrew the Taliban as rulers – because they had given refuge to the terrorist organization around Osama bin Laden, Al-Qaeda.

On the anniversary, a Taliban commander proudly declared that the Americans had not achieved their goal. Incidentally, at the time, he told Reuters, they weren’t aiming for the Afghan government, but for Afghanistan’s neighbors: the great powers in the region of China and Russia.

Concerns among the population

The whole country is now under the control of the Islamic Emirates again, affirmed Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid. Also the Pandjir Valley, where there had recently been fighting. “There is now no part of the country that is not under our control. The rebels in the Pandjir Valley who put up resistance are now gone. Now there is peace everywhere in Afghanistan.”

A large part of the population, especially many women, look to the future under the new rulers with concern. “I fear that the earlier Taliban rule will repeat itself and that our women will be harassed and discriminated against,” says a passer-by in Kabul. “That’s why I expect the Taliban to respect women’s rights and self-determination.” And another agrees: “The situation in our country is now very good, at least not worse than before. Only the women can no longer go out on the streets and some people are afraid of the future – me too.”

Women demonstrate for the Taliban

Meanwhile there was a demonstration by women for the Taliban in Kabul. Accompanied by armed fighters, a few dozen women completely veiled in black marched over the railing of the University of Kabul on the anniversary of the New York attacks. They expressed their support for the Islamic Emirate. “Death to the United States” was on some of the posters.