Afghanistan: after US withdrawal, citizens fear loss of freedoms, cash crunch under Taliban rule
- The final US troops have left Kabul airport, but the Taliban now has to revive a war-shattered economy and deal with cash shortages
- Ordinary Afghans fear a rise in Islamist militancy in the region, the loss of freedoms, especially for women, and having to fend for themselves
Taliban fighters took control of Kabul’s airport before dawn on Tuesday after the last US plane left hours before, marking the end of America’s longest war which claimed the lives of an estimated 240,000 Afghans and nearly 2,500 US troops and cost an estimated US$2 trillion.
“It is a historical day and a historical moment,” Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told a news conference at the airport. “We are proud of these moments, that we liberated our country from a great power.”
Thousands of Afghans have already fled, fearing Taliban reprisals. More than 123,000 people were evacuated from Kabul in a massive but chaotic airlift by the United States and its allies over the past two weeks, but tens of thousands who helped Western nations during the war were left behind.
The leaving US troops destroyed over 70 aircraft, dozens of armoured vehicles and disabled air defences that had thwarted an attempted Islamic State rocket attack on the eve of their departure.
Local media reports said that Afghans with valid documents could not enter the airport on Tuesday. Kabul businessman Jamal, who deals in mobile phones and only gave his first name, said there is a sense of helplessness among people who wanted to leave with them.
