Afghanistan takes stock of 9/11 with Taliban back in power

Kabul, Sep 11 (EFE).- On the 20th anniversary of 9/11, the Taliban have returned in Afghanistan with a newly announced interim government after sweeping to power during the US withdrawal.

For both the Taliban and supporters of the deposed government of Ashraf Ghani, the largest ever terror attacks against the United States  mark a catastrophic moment for Afghanistan, albeit for very different reasons.

“MISERY AND CRISIS” FOR THE TALIBAN

Sept. 11, 2001, when planes hit the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon, while another fell in Pennsylvania, only served to “bring misery and crisis” to Afghanistan, Mualim Ghznawi, a member of the Taliban’s culture and information commission, told Efe.

“It caused the collapse of a functional Islamic system, which was established to fight corruption, injustice and other social crises,” Ghznawi said.

It was a regime that between 1996 and 2001, under the leadership of Mullah Omar, was characterized by its repression of women and its conservative interpretation of Islam, as well as its brutality.

On October 7, 2001, the United States launched “Operation Enduring Freedom”, a full-scale invasion against the Taliban regime that had refused to hand over the mastermind of the attacks, the leader of the Al Qaeda terrorist network, Osama bin Laden, who was hiding in Afghanistan.

After the collapse of the regime, Washington “imposed corrupt and uncommitted people as officials on Afghan people, who were not committed to the country and people. September 11 was not a good day for Afghanistan,” the insurgent said.

MISSION FAILED

Gen. Dawlat Waziri, a defense analyst and spokesman for the deposed government’s Defense Ministry, similarly considered Sept. 11, 2001, “a day of miseries” for Afghanistan.