Afghanistan Has Fallen

KABUL - The Taliban has entered the city of Kabul after officials reported that President Ashraf Ghani has fled the country. The latest reports suggest that the Taliban have seized the presidential palace.

After 20 years of military operations in the most deadly conflict zone in the world Afghanistan, the United States and other foreign troops withdrew from the region. Coming towards the end of the withdrawal phase, the situation has escalated so much in the past one week that the Taliban had gained control of almost all of Afghanistan, taking over one after the other, cities such as Kandahar, Herat, Lashkar Gah, Mazar-i-Sharif, and Ghazni. On Saturday, a Taliban spokesperson said to the BBC: "Our leadership have instructed our forces to remain at the gate of Kabul - not to enter the city. We are awaiting a peaceful transfer of power." However, the next day, upon reports of the president fleeing, the Taliban entered the city from all sides.

Meanwhile, in Kabul, about a quarter of a million people, including 72.000 children, have set up makeshift camps, seeing the capital as their last refuge. With the arrival of the Taliban, scenes of panic engulfed the capital. Amidst the Afghan people, many diplomats, civil society activists, and foreigners are also in danger. Western countries have been scrambling to evacuate their citizens. The US sent military helicopters to transport staff from its heavily fortified embassy compound to the airport. About 3000-strong troops have been sent by the United States to evacuate the US diplomatic staff. About 600 troops have been deployed by the UK to evacuate British nationals. Germany, Canada, Norway, and Denmark have announced the closure of their embassies in Kabul. A NATO official has said several European Union staff had been moved to an undisclosed location in Kabul.

"We assure the people in Afghanistan, particularly in the city of Kabul, that their properties, their lives are safe - there will be no revenge on anyone," said a Taliban spokesperson to the BBC. However, women in areas captured by the Taliban have already described being forced to wear burkas and the militants are also reported to have beaten and lashed people for breaking social rules. According to Reuters, an Afghan government delegation will travel to Qatar today to meet Taliban representatives.

However, the takeover by Taiban was no surprise, writes the former US military member Daniel L Davis in The Guardian, emphasizing the whitewashing and false optimism portrayed by the US officials over years with regards to the war in Afghanistan.

As portrayed in the film 'Charlie Wilson's War', the situation after 20 years of the incredible military expedition reminds one of America's efforts to give the Mujahideen weapons to shoot down Soviet helicopters and other crucial material, but as soon as the soviets retired, failed to invest into education and civil society and were ignorant or indifferent of its consequences. Cinema for Peace Chairman Jaka Bizilj said "Change of power does not last without a change of mind, military presence without civil society development does not work." Cinema for Peace honored the film 'Skateistan: Four Wheels and a Board in Kabul' in the year 2011 and the organization Skateistan that aims to bridge ethnic, religious, and socioeconomic barriers and bring hope to the children of Afghanistan through their skate schools - and promotes the right of girls to be allowed to skateboard.

Here are some Cinema for Peace films on the topic, which we recommend to watch:

'Charlie Wilson's War' tells the story of Charlie Wilson, a congressman, who let goes of his cavalier lifestyle to support the Afghan troops.

'Skateistan: Four Wheels and a Board in Kabul' tells the story of a group of skateboarders bridging ethnic, religious, and socioeconomic barriers in Kabul.

The Breadwinner' tells the story of a girl who disguises herself as a boy in order to earn money for her family under Taliban rule.

'He Named Me Malala' tells the story of Malala Yousafzai, who emerged as a leading advocate for children's rights after she survived a Taliban attack.