Kabul residents share thoughts on legacy of US presence in Afghanistan

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Kabul residents shared their thoughts on the legacy of the US presence in their country on Thursday, on the 20th anniversary of the United States-led invasion.

Life went on much as normal in the city with residents spotted heading to the capital’s markets for shopping. One shopkeeper told how sales had fallen in the wake of the recent US withdrawal amid a deteriorating economic situation.

“When the Americans were there, there was more work and sales. When the United States left, trade fell and people were afraid it would not come to market. People are poor, there is no money and there is no work for shopkeepers,” said Sayed Hakim.

Others expressed antipathy to what the US had left behind saying the 2001 invasion had ushered in an era of destruction and poverty.

Thursday marked the 20th anniversary of the US-led ‘Operation Enduring Freedom,’ an offensive that was followed by 20 years of military presence in Afghanistan.

The operation launched by former US President George W Bush began in response to the September 11, 2001 attacks on US soil.

In a matter of weeks, US-led forces overthrew the Kabul-based Taliban government, which had been in charge of large parts of the country since 1996. However coalition forces became embroiled in a years-long conflict with insurgents across the country who fought against the rule of the newly installed Afghanistan government.

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SOT, Sayed Hakim, Bosch bazar shopkeeper (Dari): “When the Americans were there, there was more work and sales. When the United States left, trade fell and people were afraid it would not come to market. People are poor, there is no money and there is no work for shopkeepers. The equipment of this market was mostly used by Americans and foreign offices, they are not in the country at the moment, and no one else is buying this equipment.”

SOT, Hazrat Mir, Kabul resident (Pahto): “America destroyed our country and they left it in poverty. The promises made by the US were all false. They came here and threw our people into hostility that they led, and fled.”

SOT, Sayed Rahim, Kabul resident (Pashto): “The US coming to Afghanistan was against all international law, they were an occupation in our homeland. They made excuses to come to Afghanistan based on the September 11 incident. At the time, the Taliban demanded that these talks should be shared with the International Court of Justice if is it proven about Osama [bin-Laden], we can cooperate. But the US invaded Afghanistan dictatorially, and the result of this attack is that millions of our people were displaced, hundreds of thousands of our people were killed, our homes were destroyed, people were turned away from science. This is the achievement of 20 years of America. They call some of their achievements human rights,. We have Islamic rights that challenge the whole world - that the Islamic rights we have over women, men and children are better.”

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