According to the United Nations, in 2024, 23.7 million people – more than half of the country’s population – will need humanitarian assistance. The statistics are startling: 69 percent of people do not have enough food; 67 percent have trouble accessing water, worsened by a prolonged drought linked to climate change; the economy has contracted by 27 percent; and only 40 percent of the population has access to electricity. On top of this, the healthcare system is on the verge of collapse.
Women are bearing the brunt of the crisis. Alia, who used to work at a beauty salon in Kabul before the Taliban ordered their closure, told me: “After losing my job, I have no other means to afford my daily expenses. It’s obvious that women in Afghanistan are suffering the most in losing their rights and means to survive.”
I bet they’d be doing a lot better if the US hadn’t stolen $7B USD from their central bank, or you know, bombed the country into oblivion for two decades, or armed and trained the Mujahideen (including Osama) against the Soviets when they wanted to assist Afghanistan’s socialist development. No, blame it all on the Taliban, an organization that profoundly reflects US involvement. That way Western capitalist press can manufacture consent for more US involvement. I’m sure Afghani people are hoping we’ll “help” more. There is no price too great, if we can raise revenue for US arms manufacturers.