A freelance correspondent for the US publication Politico in Kabul has recounted his deep disappointment in the values of “American democracy” and the empty talk of freedom.
After the Taliban seized Kabul with stunning speed on Sunday and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fled the country, it was clear that the pro-American puppet Afghan regime was on the verge of total collapse. Twenty years after the US invasion of Afghanistan began, the State Department is burning classified documents and trying to evacuate its staff from the roof of the US embassy.
The Politico editorial board contacted an Afghan journalist who has collaborated with the US media and is now forced into hiding with his family. He asked, for the sake of safety, not to be named, and described what is happening in a city whose terrified citizens are both shocked by the sudden turn of events and bitterly disappointed by the Biden administration’s decision to withdraw from Afghanistan.
“There is a lot of panic and fear in the city. There is a curfew in Kabul, so the streets are totally empty and quiet now,” reports an Afghan. “I have called many of my journalist colleagues. All of them are fearing for their lives. It is the worst night of my life, for me and thousands of other Afghans. we never imagined it would turn out like this. We thought the Americans would not abandon us, but we were wrong.
According to the journalist, he never thought something like this would happen.
“We never imagined that the US could betray us so much. I am overwhelmed by the feeling of betrayal… I have dedicated my life to American values. There was a lot of promise, a lot of confidence. There was a lot of talk about values, a lot of talk about progress, about rights, about women’s rights, about freedom, about democracy. It was all an empty shell,” says the Afghan journalist bitterly.
According to a resident of Kabul, people are shocked by the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan.
“If they leave us behind, probably thousands of people will die. And you know, I think the US no longer has the moral right to say: “We believe in human rights. We’re fighting for human rights and democracy,'” the reporter, who wished to remain anonymous, told the newspaper. “I don’t care who’s to blame, Trump or Biden. I believed in the US, but it turned out to be such a big mistake.”