A Brief History

Since September 2001 the US and its allies, including Australia, have been fighting a war in Afghanistan in response to the 9/11 attacks led by Osama Bin Laden, who was being protected by the Taliban at the time.  The Taliban was removed from power in Afghanistan by the end of 2001. However, since then, the Taliban has been engaging in guerrilla warfare against the US and the Afghan army, which the US was attempting to strengthen and make self-sufficient.[1]  

The cost to human life has been immense- not only have thousands of US, Afghan, and US-allied military service members died, but over 40,000 Afghan civilians have also been killed in the war. It’s worth noting there are many deaths not included in these figures that have been caused indirectly by the war, such as through lack of access to clean water, and spread of disease.[2] 

In February 2020, the US government signed a deal with the Taliban declaring that the US would withdraw its troops from Afghanistan by May 2021, in return for assurance from the Taliban that they would not protect or permit terrorist groups to train in Afghanistan.  This deadline of May 2021 was delayed by Joe Biden when he became president, but the intention to completely withdraw remained.[3]

As more troops were withdrawn, the Taliban regained power around the country and was able to overcome the Afghan government and army with little struggle. On August 15th  2021, after the Taliban had already rapidly taken over a significant proportion of Afghanistan, its capital Kabul fell too. This signified the downfall of President Ashraf Ghani’s government, which was backed by the US and its allies.[4] 

Why are people fleeing?

There is immense fear among citizens that the Taliban will reinstate its brutal and oppressive regime as it had done when it was previously in power before 2001.  The Taliban has assumed control of the land borders and leaving by plane is the most viable option, though there are significant concerns of the Taliban monitoring checkpoints close to the airport. Heartbreaking scenes of violence, turmoil, and sheer desperation of people attempting to board flights have been circulated widely on the internet and international media.[5]  

The basic human rights of women and girls, in particular, are at threat. There are grave fears surrounding the likely implementation of repressive and archaic rules, including forced “marriages” of women and girls as young as 15, exclusion from education of girls over age 12, mandatory accompaniment of women by a male guardian when leaving the house, and horrific punishments for those who do not comply with this rules.[6] 

What are Australia’s obligations? 

What has been unfolding in Afghanistan is an urgent humanitarian crisis. Our government has a moral responsibility to provide safe refuge for those fleeing Afghanistan, especially considering our country’s 20-year involvement in the conflict that has caused the loss of lives of many Afghan civilians.  

Afghan individuals who were employed to assist Australian forces (for example, as interpreters) are at risk of being targeted by the Taliban as punishment for aiding US allies.  As of August 22, approximately 500 people, mostly Australian citizens and Afghan individuals with visas, have been evacuated by Australian rescue flights. However, Scott Morrison has declared that he cannot guarantee that all Australians will be safely evacuated.[7] The government must commit to evacuating as many people as possible whose safety is under significant threat, including those who assisted Australian forces.

At this stage, Prime Minister Scott Morrison has confirmed that 3,000 Afghans will be accepted under a humanitarian intake over the next year.  Our government can do more, and at the very least should match Britain and Canada’s proposal to offer 20,000 humanitarian visas to those fleeing the crisis.[8]  As well as increasing the humanitarian intake, the government must ensure that those already living in Australia under temporary protection are not sent back to Afghanistan and are promptly granted permanent visas.[9] 

By Devanshi Sahore
AMSA Crossing Borders Team

References: 
 1. Maizland L. The Taliban in Afghanistan. [Internet]. New York: Council of Foreign Relations; 2021 August 3 [cited 2021 August 21]. Available from https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/taliban-afghanistan
2. Costs of War [Internet]. Rhode Island: Watson Institute International and Public Affairs; 2021 April [cited 2021 August 21]. Available from https://watson.brown.edu/costsofwar/figures/2021/human-and-budgetary-costs-date-us-war-afghanistan-2001-2021
3. Who are the Taliban? [Internet]. London: BBC News; 2021 August 19 [cited 2021 August 22]. Available from https://www.bbc.com/news/world-south-asia-11451718
4. How the Taliban stormed across Afghanistan in ten days [Internet]. London: BBC News; 2021 August 17 [cited 2021 August 22]. Available from https://www.bbc.com/news/world-58232525
5. Harding L & Doherty B. Kabul airport: footage appears to show Afghans falling from plane after takeoff. [Internet]. Sydney: The Guardian (Australian Edition); 2021 August 17 [cited 2021 August 22]. Available from https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/aug/16/kabul-airport-chaos-and-panic-as-afghans-and-foreigners-attempt-to-flee-the-capital
6. Mohammad AR & Sapiano J. As the Taliban returns, 20 years of progress for women looks set to disappear overnight. [Internet]. Melbourne: The Conversation; 2021 August 16 [cited 2021 August 22]. Available from https://theconversation.com/as-the-taliban-returns-20-years-of-progress-for-women-looks-set-to-disappear-overnight-165012
7. Macmillan J. Hundreds escape Afghanistan on four RAAF flights out of Kabul. [Internet]. Sydney: ABC news; 2021 August 22 [cited 2021 August 22]. Available from https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-08-22/more-australians-rescued-from-afghanistan/100397310
8. Australia: Prioritize protection for fleeing Afghans [Internet]. New York: Human Rights Watch; 2021 August 18 [cited 2021 August 22]. Available from https://www.hrw.org/news/2021/08/18/australia-prioritize-protection-fleeing-afghans
9. Urgent: Australia must provide safe passage to people fleeing the Taliban [Internet]. NSW: Amnesty International; [cited 2021 August 22]. Available from https://action.amnesty.org.au/act-now/australia-must-provide-safe-passage-to-those-fleeing-the-taliban