The horrific scenes of Afghans trying to flee the country in the wake of a chaotic U.S. departure are fading from American minds. Sporadic reports of Americans left behind and arms that have fallen into the Taliban's hands do appear, but one wonders, for how long?
It would be disastrous to turn one's back on Afghanistan under the Taliban, both literally and figuratively. Even as the Afghan interim government is seeking legitimacy and courting international recognition, presenting a toned-down version of militant Islam and mouthing platitudes about rights and overtures to minorities, the ground reality evokes memories of their reign two decades ago.
Journalists, human rights activists, and locals who helped American forces are targets. While there are calls to bring back Americans stuck in Afghanistan and retrieve arms and ammunition left behind by the U.S. forces, the larger picture is much dire.
Reports of men being shot dead for playing music at a wedding surfaced just a few days ago. A young volleyball player on the girls' national team, Mahjibin Hakimi, was beheaded, reported New York Post a few days before that.
