The past couple of years have been representative of a particularly strong political tension and the eruption of multiple conflicts. However, the situation in Afghanistan appears to have become the event that stirred the greatest controversy, mostly due to the controversial nature of the outcomes of U.S. withdrawing its troops from the specified area. Namely, the reign of the Taliban, a terrorist organization known for perpetrating multiple crimes and promoting strictly authoritarian rule, is likely to lead to numerous adverse outcomes. Since the Afghani population has been stripped of the resources for fighting the aggression of the terrorists after the latter had taken over the government, the U.S. leaving Afghanistan appears to be unjustified.
Considering the issue closer, one will realize that the U.S. Army’s retreat from Afghanistan means not only abandoning the fight, but also leaving Afghani citizens to face a tyrant with a nearly unlimited power completely alone. Indeed, due to the presence of the resources needed to subjugate Afghani citizens, the Taliban is likely to impose a range of restrictions on Afghani citizens. Women shroud be seen as a particularly vulnerable group due to the radical nature of the belief system that the Taliban promotes. Even though the Taliban leaders have issued a statement promising to keep the access to education and employment for women, the issue of women’s’ rights are likely to become the concern of the first order after the Taliban restructures the Afghan power system and the existing resources to introduce new social hierarchy and framework of interactions. Therefore, removing the U.S. troops from Afghanistan to allow the Taliban to infringe upon the rights of vulnerable groups can be considered a particularly deplorable move.
Additionally, the persecution of those that have been vocal in their disapproval of the Taliban regime prior to the U.S. troops’ defeat deserves a mentioning as a crucial source of concern and the main reason why the troops should not have been removed. Indeed, the Taliban is notorious for its retaliation toward its opponents, particularly, the cruel death penalties and the related instances of violence. Therefore, the U.S. troops leaving implies slowing the Taliban to continue its unlawful persecution of its political opponents, as well as anyone who voices disagreement with the policies of the Taliban government. From the described perspective, the U.S. removing its army from the Afghan environment seems a particularly unreasonable response to the emergent disaster. Despite the fact that the U.S. troops were experiencing significant difficulties in fighting in the setting that was unfamiliar and, therefore, suffering multiple difficulties in retaining both tactical and strategic advantages over the Taliban powers, opportunities for containing the threat could have been pursued, thus, preventing the Taliban from taking over Afghanistan.
Due to the catastrophic situation in which the Afghani population has found itself, namely, the absence of opportunities to confront the Taliban, the U.S. withdrawing the troops from the country does not appear to be a legitimate solution to the issue. Although the troops remaining in Afghanistan would have been unlikely to solve the crisis and prevent the Taliban from taking over the state, the opportunities for containing the threat and protecting local residents could have been pursued. While ensuring the safety of the troops was also vital, the U.S. should not have left the Afghani citizens without any support system.