Twenty-one years ago, al Qaeda terrorists given sanctuary in Taliban-run Afghanistan killed nearly 3,000 people on Sept. 11, 2001.
Despite assurances to the contrary, the restored Taliban poses a dangerous threat to Afghanistan — and the world. During a Sept. 1 conference hosted by Global Friends of Afghanistan, Afghan and American experts explained that Afghanistan remains a breeding ground for terrorism.
The Taliban continue to embrace rule by terror. In addition to carrying out ruthless reprisal killings against former government personnel, the group is said to employ child soldiers and may have trained a brigade of suicide bombers. Numerous sources also suggest that the Taliban are creating a system of madrassas throughout Afghanistan. For panelist Crystal Bayat, a human rights activist from Afghanistan, these madrassas demonstrate the Taliban’s plan “to indoctrinate and brainwash” Afghan youth.
Multiple panelists noted the connection between al Qaeda, the Taliban, and the Haqqani network. Former Chief of General Staff of the Afghan National Army Gen. Haibatullah Alizai said Taliban senior leaders have been working with Abdullah bin Laden, the son of deceased al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, to traffic drugs into Iran despite announcing a ban on opium cultivation last year. In August, al Qaeda senior leader Ayman al Zawahiri was killed in a U.S. drone strike in Kabul, Afghanistan, while he stayed at the home of Taliban interior minister and top terrorist Sirajuddin Haqqani. Alizai suggested 22 different terrorist groups now operate in Afghanistan.
The events of 9/11 and almost two decades of subsequent war are filled with painful memories, particularly considering a clear return to the conditions in Afghanistan that presaged 9/11. Especially now, we must remember our difficult past and demand that our leaders pursue policies that thwart rather than empower terrorism.
Beth Bailey (@BWBailey85) is a freelance writer from the Detroit area. She is a media fellow at Global Friends of Afghanistan.
