Taliban Takes Over Afghanistan
After close to two decades’ rule by the American backed Afghanistan’s civilian government, the country fell back into the hands of the Taliban on 15 August 2021. Often referred to by Western governments as terrorists, the Taliban had ruled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001 before they were overthrown by the American military forces in December 2001, following the tragic September 11 attacks. During their rule, the Taliban had implemented harsh policies to ban media, music, movies and a long list of other activities. In addition, women were not allowed to work outside their homes and girls not allowed to attend schools. The Taliban and their allies were also responsible for multiple massacres against Afghan civilians, apart from the infamous public whipping and execution of religious and ethnic minorities. To find out more about the Taliban, you may sign up for economics tuition Singapore with a reputable economics tutor Singapore.
The Collapse Of Afghan Security Forces
The US had been planning to get out of Afghanistan and end its longest war for years. In February 2020, the then President Donald Trump signed a peace deal with the Taliban to reduce violence and mass casualties during US’s scheduled withdrawal of military forces. Earlier this year, President Joe Biden announced that the US would complete its withdrawal 31 August 2021. With guidance from your economics tutor Singapore in your economics tuition Singapore class, discuss the economic considerations behind the US’s decision to pull out from Afghanistan after close to 20 years. However, as the deadline drew near, the Taliban stormed across the country and swiftly took control of major cities and eventually the capital city of Kabul on 15 August 2021.
Over the past 20 years, the US had spent over US$80 billion to train and equip the Afghan security forces. However, the 300,000 strong, well equipped security forces quickly melted down in less than 10 days, handing over dozens of major cities to the Taliban, many without a fight. The US backed President, Ashraf Ghani fled the capital city of Kabul before its fall. In consultation with your economics tutor Singapore in economics tuition Singapore, discuss what has led to the sudden collapse of the Afghan security forces and government.
A War Lost To Corruption
Analysts believe the sudden downfall of the Afghan security forces was due to a combination of factors. First, despite the peace deal signed between the US and the Taliban, there was no real mechanism to ensure that the Taliban honour their commitments including power sharing with the US backed government. Mr Edmund Quek is revered as the best economics tutor Singapore who has more than 20 years of experience teaching economics tuition Singapore at JC levels. You may visit the website of his economics tuition Singapore centre www.economicscafe.com.sg to learn more about the economics tutor Singapore. As a matter of fact, the Taliban ramped up their attacks right after the US military forces began to pull out of the country in May 2021 and little was done by the US to stop their aggressive advance. Hence, the Taliban took swift control of rural areas in July followed by urban cities in August with little resistance.
Second, there are fundamental flaws in the construction and management of the Afghan security forces. The Afghan security forces mirrored after the US military depend heavily on air support and intelligence. With the US forces pulling out of the country, they could no longer operate effectively. In discussion with your economics tutor Singapore in your economics tuition Singapore class, explain the importance of air support and intelligence.
Most importantly, half of the supposedly 300,000 members of the Afghan security forces are believed to be “ghost fighters”. The number has been significantly inflated due to the longstanding, deep rooted corruption in the country. These “ghost fighters” were put on the payroll so that the corrupt government officials could collect their salaries. Corruption is undoubtedly also a primary contributing factor to the government’s lack of competence and fighting spirit. In the past decade, the US backed ruling government focused their efforts on acquiring power and money for themselves instead of improving its capabilities to stand up against the Taliban.
Linda Geng
Economics Tuition Singapore @ Economics Cafe
Principal Economics Tutor: Mr. Edmund Quek