Taliban Afghanistan Keeps Getting Worse Americans still can’t get out as restrictions on women increase.
Though it gets little Western coverage these days, Afghanistan continues to regress. On Saturday the ruling Taliban ordered all women to fully cover themselves in public. This is a tragedy for the women and men of Afghanistan, and it’s a reminder of the nightmare for the Americans still trapped there.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken recently testified on Capitol Hill that 126 Americans remain in Afghanistan. He added that 37 seek to leave and are being assisted by the State Department. A congressional source told us that the figure may underestimate the number of U.S. citizens who want to get out, as some want to leave but need to get their affairs in order first.
Mr. Blinken noted that the U.S. had helped more than 600 American citizens leave the country since the end of August, but hundreds have come forward since the panicked withdrawal ended. The process has been uneven: Some freedom-of-movement issues are resolved, then others spring up. Leaving the country remains difficult.
The Administration vows to assist any Americans who want to leave. But that is the least it can do after the rushed retreat and the casual approach to evacuations that preceded it.
This haphazard approach also endangered thousands of Afghans who earned the right to move to the U.S. with their families after working for the American government, most notably as interpreters. Washington evacuated some Special Immigrant Visa applicants but countless were left behind. The process has sped up but too many Afghan allies remain at risk of reprisal killings. As the human-rights situation deteriorates, they deserve a way out.
The new burqa decree requires women to cover everything but their eyes outside the home. If a woman’s face is seen in public, her male “guardian” could face a fine and jail time. If an uncovered woman has relatives who work for the government, they could lose their jobs. Parks are now segregated by sex. Women can no longer go to school or travel on planes or taxis without a male companion. They face arrest and imprisonment for violations.
Before the latest decree was announced, Mr. Blinken said the situation for Afghan women was “extremely mixed to negative.” But, he added, “somewhat ironically, you might say, there is in the country at large greater stability and relative peace.” It’s true that the civil war effectively ended after President Biden’s surrender to the Taliban, but Mr. Blinken’s words are cold comfort to anyone still trapped in the country.
Afghanistan’s stability is also in question. Islamic State, a Taliban rival, has carried out a series of terrorist attacks in recent weeks that risk spiraling into more violence. Oh, and the country’s meth industry aimed at foreign markets is booming.
More encouraging, the New York Sun reports that the National Resistance Front, which includes many who worked with the U.S., claims to have made progress in regaining control of several northeastern provinces. The group opposes radical Islamic policies and the oppression of women and ethnic and religious minorities. The group’s claims can’t be independently verified, but success would create areas of refuge inside the country.
After its disgraceful withdrawal, the Biden Administration has a particular duty to help Americans and allies left behind. Keeping the world’s attention on Taliban abuses is an essential part of that duty.
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