Originally posted by Dago
The people are now enjoying the rebirth of freedom, will be participating in elections for representation, the women no longer have to wear complete coverings, the children are returning to school, and medical care is becoming available again to the citizens. The soccer fields are no longer used as killing fields.
A national Army has been established, trained and equipped.
I dont know what country you are speaking about - but the situation in Afghanistan is not like you described.
1. Rebirth of Freedom ?
Even in Kabul - the capital city of the puppet Karsai, the women wear the Burkha. If Karsai dares to leave the city without his foreign body guards the people would hang him.
Afghanistan is devided in the lands of the warlords and clans and Karsai has no power in these regions.
In NE the usbekian war-criminal "General" Dostum has his terror-regime. Very much like Saddam during the time of Iran-Iraq-War he is supported by the USA.
In the SE the pashtuni tribes - formerly also called Taliban - are in full power, demanding the orthodox interpretation of the Sharia. No woman there can dare to go out without the Burkha and no girl is visiting a school in these regions.
In the West - especially in the province of Herat and the city itself an iranian puppet is ruling. There indeed the situation has changed - the people there have the more liberal iranian definition of Islam - so the women dont have to wear the burkha but "only" the chador and girls and women are allowed to visit schools/universities.
But islamic-liberal iranian definitions are far away from the definition of liberalism or freedom of western standard.
2. Elections ?
On the one hand no one cares who is prime minister of Afghanistan, because this person is not more than a major of Kabul and only so long as foreign troops protect him.
The people know that an election is coming, because all these political rivals are now fighting more bitterly against each other. Dostum for example is responsible for the assassination of tweo ministers of the Karsai regime.
3. Women no have to wear complete coverings ?
They have.
Even when western reports show pictures from Kabul there are women in the blue burkha when the "life in the city" is shown.
Iranian clerics have condemned the burkha which is a real torture to wear. It not only completely covers the body of the woman but also the face and the material it is made off makes it a hell to wear it in the hot climate.
So - what do you think why we still see these torture clothing when there are reports of Kabul - the city with the highest presence of foreign troops in Afghanistan.
What do you think is going on in all the small villages - especially in the Southeast where the Pashtuni tribes rule ?
4. Children in school ?
Maybe in Kabul, maybe in Herat and Dostums territory. But nothing essential has been changed in the old traditional territories of those tribes which formed the Talibans.
5. Medical Care ?
The major "medicine" of Afghanistan is heroine. 75% of the world production is coming now from this country. Iran is trying to stop the drug-smuggling by building walls to the afghan order - a senseless action whcih will not work because of the lenght and the form of the territory.
But it shows how the situation has got bad in Afghanistan where every rebel part, warlord and tribe is buying its weapons by producing drugs which finally also reach the western nations and kill the people who use them here.
6. National Army ?
This is the most ridiculous point.
There was along report in german TV about this new "national afghan army" which was trained by US-officers.
After a short training many of these so called "soldiers" are deserting and return to their tribes.
Many were sent by their warlord to the training because they hoped that their people would get a good military training and then they simply returned.
They ever have the uniforms and weapons which were given to them - only the rank and national insignias were removed.
There is no national feeling - no loyality for the ruler of Kabul.
The afghans - after decades of internal wars - are loyal to their tribes and clans.
No - I can not see any effective change in Afghanistan.
They still have large regions where the rules of the Taliban are performed, where women MUST wear the Burkha, are refused to go to school and where the most primitive forms of shariarules are used.
The central government would be wiped out if foreign troops leave the country.
And all these warlords refuse to give up their power. Even after many of them were made to ministers by Karsai they continued the fighting and many ministers of Karsai died in the last years by assassinations ordered by some of their minister-collegues.
