{"id":56548,"date":"2024-05-22T20:24:15","date_gmt":"2024-05-22T20:24:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2024\/05\/22\/thursday-briefing-how-americas-monster-operated-in-afghanistan\/"},"modified":"2024-05-22T20:24:15","modified_gmt":"2024-05-22T20:24:15","slug":"thursday-briefing-how-americas-monster-operated-in-afghanistan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2024\/05\/22\/thursday-briefing-how-americas-monster-operated-in-afghanistan\/","title":{"rendered":"Thursday Briefing: How \u2018America\u2019s Monster\u2019 Operated in Afghanistan"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"text-align:center\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1050\" height=\"550\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2024\/03\/13\/multimedia\/23am-asia-nl-top\/23am-asia-nl-top-facebookJumbo.jpg?resize=1050,550&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"Thursday Briefing: How \u2018America\u2019s Monster\u2019 Operated in Afghanistan\" title=\"Thursday Briefing: How \u2018America\u2019s Monster\u2019 Operated in Afghanistan\" \/><\/div><p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<h2 class=\"css-9ycfei eoo0vm40\" id=\"link-5e3a9d74\">America\u2019s monster<\/h2>\n<div class=\"css-zera2v\">\n<div class=\"css-103l8m3\">\n<div class=\"css-1e2jphy epjyd6m1\">\n<div class=\"css-233int epjyd6m0\">\n<p class=\"css-4anu6l e1jsehar1\"><span class=\"byline-prefix\">By <\/span><span class=\"css-1baulvz last-byline\" itemprop=\"name\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/by\/azam-ahmed\" class=\"css-n8ff4n e1jsehar0\">Azam Ahmed<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"enhanced-byline\" class=\"css-8atqhb\">\n<p class=\"css-m7kxl4 e1wtpvyy0\">I covered the war in Afghanistan and went back after the Taliban took over.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">General Abdul Raziq was one of America\u2019s fiercest allies in the fight against the Taliban. He was young and charismatic \u2014 a courageous warrior who commanded the loyalty and respect of his men. He helped beat back the Taliban in the crucial battlefield of Kandahar, even as the insurgents advanced across Afghanistan.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">But his success, until his 2018 assassination, was built on torture, extrajudicial killing and abduction. In the name of security, he transformed the Kandahar police into a combat force without constraints. His officers, who were trained, armed and paid by the U.S., took no note of human rights or due process, according to a <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/05\/22\/world\/asia\/afghanistan-abdul-raziq.html\" title=\"\">Times investigation into thousands of cases<\/a>. Most of his victims were never seen again.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Washington\u2019s strategy in Afghanistan aimed to beat the Taliban by winning the hearts and minds of the people it was supposedly fighting for. But Raziq embodied a flaw in that plan. The Americans empowered warlords, corrupt politicians and outright criminals in the name of military expediency. It picked proxies for whom the ends often justified the means.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">I\u2019ll explain in today\u2019s newsletter how using men like Raziq drove many Afghans toward the Taliban. And it persuaded others, including those who might have been sympathetic to U.S. goals, that the U.S.-backed central government could not be trusted to fix Afghanistan. If there was ever any chance that the U.S. could uproot the Taliban, the war strategy made it much harder.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<h2 class=\"css-9ycfei eoo0vm40\" id=\"link-72f9b1d9\">A savage campaign<\/h2>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">My colleague Matthieu Aikins and I have covered Afghanistan for years. After America\u2019s chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan, we were suddenly able to visit people and places that were off-limits during the fighting. We traveled there, hoping to learn what really happened during America\u2019s longest war.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Alongside a team of Afghan researchers, we combed through more than 50,000 handwritten complaints kept in ledgers by the former U.S.-backed government of Kandahar. In them, we found the details of almost 2,200 cases of suspected disappearances. From there, we went to hundreds of homes across Kandahar.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">We tracked down nearly 1,000 people who said their loved ones had been taken or killed by government security forces. We corroborated nearly 400 cases, often with eyewitnesses to the abductions. We also substantiated their claims with Afghan police reports, affidavits and other government records they had filed. In each of the forced disappearances, the person is still missing.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Even at the time, U.S. officials grasped Raziq\u2019s malevolence. \u201cSometimes we asked Raziq about incidents of alleged human rights abuses, and when we got answers we would be like, \u2018Whoa, I hope we didn\u2019t implicate ourselves in a war crime just by hearing about it,\u2019\u201d recalled Henry Ensher, a State Department official who held multiple posts on Afghanistan. \u201cWe knew what we were doing, but we didn\u2019t think we had a choice,\u201d Ensher said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<h2 class=\"css-9ycfei eoo0vm40\" id=\"link-48ca09b6\">The cost<\/h2>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">It would be too simple to say that Raziq\u2019s tactics were entirely in vain. They worked in some respects, reasserting government control in Kandahar and pushing insurgents into the hinterlands. Raziq earned the admiration of many who opposed the Taliban. More than a dozen U.S. officials said that without him the Taliban would have advanced much faster.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">But Raziq\u2019s methods took a toll. They stirred such enmity among his victims that the Taliban turned his cruelty into a recruiting tool. Taliban officials posted videos about him on WhatsApp to attract new fighters.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Many Afghans came to revile the U.S.-backed government and everything it represented. \u201cNone of us supported the Taliban, at least not at first,\u201d said Fazul Rahman, whose brother was abducted in front of witnesses during Raziq\u2019s reign. \u201cBut when the government collapsed, I ran through the streets, rejoicing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Even some who cheered Raziq\u2019s ruthlessness lamented the corruption and criminality he engendered \u2014 a key part of why the Afghan government collapsed in 2021. After Raziq\u2019s death, his commanders went further. They extorted ordinary people and stole from their own men\u2019s wages and supplies. \u201cWhat they brought under the name of democracy was a system in the hands of a few mafia groups,\u201d said one resident of Kandahar who initially supported the government. \u201cThe people came to hate democracy.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Historians and scholars will spend years arguing whether the U.S. could have ever succeeded. The world\u2019s wealthiest nation had invaded one of its poorest and attempted to remake it by installing a new government. Such efforts elsewhere have failed.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">But U.S. mistakes \u2014 empowering ruthless killers, turning allies into enemies, enabling rampant corruption \u2014 made the loss of its longest war at least partly self-inflicted. This is a story Matthieu and I will spend the coming months telling, from across Afghanistan.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\"><em class=\"css-2fg4z9 e1gzwzxm0\">Read <\/em><a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/05\/22\/world\/asia\/afghanistan-abdul-raziq.html\" title=\"\"><em class=\"css-2fg4z9 e1gzwzxm0\">Azam\u2019s investigation<\/em><\/a><em class=\"css-2fg4z9 e1gzwzxm0\">, and<\/em><strong class=\"css-8qgvsz ebyp5n10\"><em class=\"css-2fg4z9 e1gzwzxm0\"> <\/em><\/strong><a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/video\/world\/asia\/100000009474782\/tracking-disappearances-afghanistan.html?playlistId=video\/world\" title=\"\"><em class=\"css-2fg4z9 e1gzwzxm0\">watch him explain<\/em><\/a><em class=\"css-2fg4z9 e1gzwzxm0\"> how it came together.<\/em><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"css-1uuxri4 e1gnsphs0\" id=\"link-55bd377a\"><span><strong class=\"css-8qgvsz ebyp5n10\">MORE TOP NEWS<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The photographer Emile Ducke took this picture of Ukrainians fleeing Russia\u2019s advance in the Kharkiv region. One woman, looking out the window, left without her husband. \u201cHe didn\u2019t want to leave,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Others had stuffed belongings into whatever bags they could. There was no time. <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/05\/22\/world\/europe\/ukraine-kharkiv-region-evacuation.html\" title=\"\">Read the stories behind this image<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<h2 class=\"css-9ycfei eoo0vm40\" id=\"link-5216f26b\">How to become a vegetarian<\/h2>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">If you\u2019re looking to make the switch to vegetarianism or to just a more plant-forward diet, you may have questions, even concerns. We can help you get started.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\"><strong class=\"css-8qgvsz ebyp5n10\">Veg-ify your favorite meals:<\/strong> Giving up meat doesn\u2019t mean leaving behind beloved flavors. If you love chicken Parm, opt for one made with mushroom or eggplant instead.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\"><strong class=\"css-8qgvsz ebyp5n10\">Don\u2019t worry about protein. <\/strong>We spoke to a nutrition expert who recommended including at least one serving of a high-protein food with every meal, such as beans, lentils, nuts, nut butters, seeds, tofu, eggs and dairy products.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Check out the full list of tips in <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/article\/vegetarian.html\" title=\"\">our guide on how to eat vegetarian<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"css-1uuxri4 e1gnsphs0\" id=\"link-705d9918\"><span><strong class=\"css-8qgvsz ebyp5n10\">RECOMMENDATIONS<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/05\/22\/world\/asia\/palestinian-afghanistan-norway-britain-asia.html\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>America\u2019s monster By Azam Ahmed I covered the war in Afghanistan and went back after the Taliban took over. General Abdul Raziq was one of America\u2019s fiercest allies in the fight against the Taliban. He was young and charismatic \u2014 a courageous warrior who commanded the loyalty and respect of his men. He helped beat [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":56549,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2024\/03\/13\/multimedia\/23am-asia-nl-top\/23am-asia-nl-top-facebookJumbo.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[401,11226,235,29895,55544,9086],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56548"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=56548"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56548\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":56550,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56548\/revisions\/56550"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/56549"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=56548"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=56548"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=56548"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}