Exit Afghanistan and Learn Peace for the Common Good of Humanity
I have been watching Netflix and found this one. There is a second documentary below.
The Afghan people did not want foreigners in their country at all. I noted the American comment indicating they were invited by most Afghans. I will add they do not want to be refugees either and live in other countries. They love their country but have no choice but to flee when experiencing heartache and war since 1979 – present. They have to find refuge for their children, there is no choice. What does a civil global society do in response to this crime against humanity?
What are the interests of the people in Afghanistan, they would say to be left in peace. They are an innocent people who are not extremists. Yes there are warlords and they are also hated by the people given their cruelty and control. The people are sick of the politics and the violence. The women are angry as their children are taken and killed. That is what an Afghan woman told me. She felt despair around men.
Like most of us women, we want to see the violence stop as innocent civilians are always the targets. These are not war crimes it is a crime scene in my view. The argument that war is in defence no longer stands when the intent is about profit and corruption. Halliburton’s presence made that clear and the arms traders who desire endless wars.
It is estimated from 2001 there were approximately 111,000 Afghans killed. Wikipedia outlines: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civilian_casualties_in_the_war_in_Afghanistan_%282001%E2%80%93present%29#Aggregation_of_estimates
There were two million Afghan civilians were killed under the Soviets.
Why is it necessary for 1,200,000 Afghans to die when they were not aggressors they were invaded. How can history just overlook this? What of the deaths of civilians in Iraq (approx. 193,965) and Syria (approx. 560,000)? Imagine if this was your family member, the one you loved, how would you feel? How would you feel if those things that were familiar were blown up? How would you feel if you had no food, no water and no hope? This is why humanity is important, this is why values are important and this is why peace education is critical in our world. This is terrorism on a mass scale for civilians in this part of the world. They are human beings not cannon fodder. What do you think or feel? I hope something.
Syria: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casualties_of_the_Syrian_Civil_War
Here is the first series of videos called Exit Afghanistan 1/4 Norwegian Afghanistan Documentary (English Subtitles)
Note 70% of the population are under 25 years of age.
The Norwegians are known for the Nobel Peace Prize, when I watched this I could feel the pain of the Afghans when they announced they were leaving. They felt abandoned. I was amazed they took everything and left no medical equipment or supplies for the doctors given their crisis. I had to just view this as military with no real sense of humanitarian concern. I marvel as I watch machine gun fire and ask ‘For what’? ‘What does it achieve’? ‘What do people learn from violence’? and ‘Does violence teach peace’? When do men stop the war games and dialogue for real peace acknowledging where they get it wrong, face the family members who are devastated. Do they think paying reparations takes the pain away?
There is a scene where a father is talking to his son cross legged with the mountains behind. He is advising his boy to be responsible for the other siblings. I saw how the men were men there and taught responsibility for others. He was there if the boy had problems. He advised him to keep away from bad people as their is evil in their country. My heart cried for this man, he was one year younger than me yet he looked so old. I cried watching this film as these are noble people who have endlessly suffered yet they didn’t give up. the empires move onto the next drama as they think life is about money not love. The love of these people I have never seen before. I witnessed a love that made me feel deeply alone. They knew each other in their city, families (generations) lived together, they cried if one left to go a few hundred kilometres. They cried deeply as they were so close to each other. If a person killed a family member and sought refuge they would allow them to stay as is their custom. They are hospitable and will give everything to a guest. They value people over money and they are a country of poets and musicians (similar to Iranians), they are Persian not Arab as most Westerners believe that all Muslims are Arabs, no there are many kinds and like Christian denominations the culture and education ameliorates how extreme (devout) they are. It should be noted that the Taliban came out of the madrasas in Northern Peshawar (Pakistan) and these children had no experience of family. They were taught in Arabic not Persian/Pashto so they just mimicked what they were taught, they were very easy to control. I note the Taliban’s form of Islam is identical to the Wahhabi (Saudi Arabia, Sunni). The majority Afghans hated the Taliban. remember that the women had the experience of socialism and went to universities and were quite modern until Islam was introduced, then they experienced extreme suppression. The women suffered enormously, they had to be accompanied by a male relative, they couldn’t travel alone, windows in buses were blacked out, any idols removed, the religious police were brutal and any violations could be dealt with by stoning’s. The Kabul football stadium was used and this was a place of great cruelty. The pain is inconceivable to us who have never been confronted with real terrorism. So when I see terms like this used in Australia I know it is propaganda to instil fear and it is about civil liberties not terrorism which when it happens is horrific. The car bombings, the brutality, the human rights violations, disappearances and severe application of Sharia law which is the same as Saudi law. Not only did the people have to defend against invasion, the women had to survive extremism and terrorism that had come from external influences. The Afghans are more similar originally to the Sufi’s, similar to Kashmiri’s. They had a mystical life before Islam.
There needs to be a criminal investigation into this crime against humanity. It is important to note that during the Russians occupation fundamentalist extremists were recruited by the CIA to fight the Russians, they facilitated these brutal fighters. Osama bin Laden was among them and trained. The objective I believe was revenge given Vietnam and the efforts of Joanne Herring (Texan socialite), Charlie Wilson (politician) and Gust Avrakotos (CIA operative). Both super powers made massive mistakes in proxy wars in their attempt to defeat each other which didn’t happen, the result was the murder of millions of innocent people. How is that heroic? How does that save the free world? How is that freedom for the people? There should be reparations paid to the young people so they can rebuild their country.
During this war so many families were killed. Son’s would just be taken to the front, their mother’s didn’t know where they were gone. Every Afghan felt like a weapon was targeting them. They never felt safe. The wars brought out a brutality that is inconceivable to ordinary people. The tragedy in the end was about 50% of the country were children. Representative Charlie Wilson I recall in the film tried to encourage others to fund the schools in Afghanistan, but the others in this Defence Appropriations Committee (unlimited funding) had moved on and couldn’t even remember the name of the country, they didn’t care at all, this is the ‘indifference’ that leads the US back into revolving wars that never end with only winners as the arms industries. However, I have felt to say that they do not win in the end either, I feel karma around their efforts as they are responsible for the deaths given they enabled murders by supplying weapons, it is not an industry it is fuelling violence where the innocence are the victims. At the end of the film there was a statement where it is stated roughly that they fucked up the end game, we always leave. that is the weakness of the US, it is unable to be a true liberator of freedom as the intent is money not freedom. That is why the tide turns and criticism is levelled. The same applies to the other powers seeking power not a better world.
The world failed Afghanistan in my view and allowed Cold war hostilities and oil interests to invade a country that was the poorest in the world. It is a miracle they survived. War is not peace under any banner, war only perpetuates deep suffering and when you look into the eyes of innocence and see deep pain you know there is no justice in warfare, always the people lose, all ways.
There needs to be reparations for all countries where civilians are killed in my view.
Te True Story of Charlie Wilson’s War