Perhaps the most notorious piece of Central Intelligence Agency history is its creation and management of death squads … It’s an irrefutable story of CIA-directed mass murder of civilians. Abby Martin & The Empire Files: CIA Stories II: Death Squads in Afghanistan, Youtube 16.12, 2021
Handing out millions in cash, the CIA quickly had its own army in Afghanistan. ibid.
The Central Intelligence Agency manages to kill as many civilians as a force more than thirty times larger than it. ibid.
The Taliban offered ‘total surrender’ in November 2001. Abby Martin & The Empire Files: Afghanistan War Pays Off Big for Generals Who Lied, caption, Youtube 4.50, 2021
Then they spent two decades lying to the public to keep the war going. ibid.
President Biden has made the major announcement that he is officially ending the Afghanistan war, and is expected to withdraw the remaining 3,500 US military personnel from Afghanistan, with 7,000 Nato soldiers following suit. Abby Martin & The Empire Files: US Retreats from Afghanistan: Truth Behind the Empire’s Defeat, Youtube 12.51, Abby Martin online 2021
The US has completely failed the main objective they’ve been telling us for two decades. ibid.
After the bloodiest battle of the entire Afghan war, 8,000 Taliban soldiers surrendered to the Northern Alliance and US special forces under guarantee that their lives would be spared. Today up to 3,000 of those men lie in an unmarked desert grave, and American soldiers stand accused by numerous eye witnesses of being involved in their disappearance. Afghan Massacre: The Convoy of Death, 2002
Kabul, Afghanistan: Eshanulla, aged 8, Abdullah, aged 8, Shoukria, aged 9, Arezo, aged 9. Children of the Taliban, Channel 4 2022
Afghanistan’s children have endured decades of conflict and suffering. But since US forces withdrew a year ago and the hardline Taliban took over, life got a lot harder for most Afghans. ibid.
Child malnutritian has soared as has child labour. People have become impossibly poor and it’s the women and girls who are bearing the brunt of it. ibid.
They’ve shut girls’ secondary schools and in doing so have dashed the hopes and dreams of a new generation. ibid.
The US and Taliban sign agreement meant to end America’s longest running war: The US has agreed to pull all of its troops from Afghanistan within 14 months. Riley Beggin article, cited Year One: A Political Odyssey, press secretary, HBO 2022
Nearly 20 years since American and Allied troops went into Afghanistan, only a small NATO force remains, and a timeline has been agreed for their withdrawal. For now, a US-backed government is running the country and fighting with the Taliban continues. Storyville: Winning Hearts & Minds, caption, BBC 2023
Helmand: There were rumours of drug deals, extortion and sexual assault. ibid.
The civilians of Musa Qala didn’t trust the western forces because they collaborated with Koca and Issa Khan [rozzers]. ibid.
‘Our mission in Musa Qala was to win hearts and minds and create stability with the local police force and cooperate.’ ibid. Western force dude
‘Western forces left us in a sorry state. That’s how you wanted it, I guess.’ ibid. Khan
‘Afghanistan, it’s like going back in time, particularly in the south.’ ibid. British forces dude
‘It was uncomfortable to experience the police with the younger boys.’ ibid.
Operation Jawbreaker: You are to hunt down Bin Laden and his lieutenants, and then when you kill Bin Laden you cut his head off … Spy Ops I: Operation Jawbreaker, Ops dude, Netflix 2023
Money went to [Northern Alliance] leaders that needed it. ibid.
Our troops were not satisfied with the American attacks. ibid. Northern Alliance dude
Afghanistan 2003: As soon as the Taliban government had been toppled, which was much swifter then many in the US government had expected, $38 billion poured in, so there was a lot of reconstruction. In US eyes the war in Afghanistan was over … Next stop Baghdad. Spy VII: Taliban Spies, author
During the fight against the Soviets, refugee camps were stood up in Pakistan so it was easy for Taliban to go there to recruit people. ibid. US dude
The secret decisions that are made at the highest levels of government. And what the government was willing to do under the blanket of national security. What they are willing to do in going way outside the law. Turning Point: 9/11 and the War on Terror III: The Dark Side, man in the know, Netflix 2021
It was not clear directionally what we wanted to do and when we wanted to do it. Turning Point: 9/11 and the War on Terror IV: The Good War, former Afghanistan ambassador
We don’t know who are the good guys and who are the bad guys. ibid. soldier in Afghanistan
We’re winning: you speak to Afghans and that’s not the case at all. ibid.
There’s a part of me that died in Afghanistan that I will never get back. ibid.