Middle East

GOP Lawmakers Push To Withdraw U.S. Troops From Afghanistan

Published

3 years ago

July 16, 2020

A number of Republican members of the U.S. House of Representatives are pushing forward an amendment to withdraw American troops from Afghanistan, in what has been the nation’s longest war.

“We are trying to support his [Pres. Trump’s] efforts in the National Defense Authorization Act by offering an amendment that would codify what he wants to do, which is get us out of Afghanistan,” said Rep. Thomas Massie, R-KY, on “Fox & Friends First” Thursday morning.

Massie has joined forces with his colleagues Reps. Matt Gaetz, R-FL, and Andy Biggs, R-AZ, who introduced the AFGHAN Services Act this week, which is an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).

“This amendment affirms what President Trump knows and believes: unfocused, unending wars in the Middle East make America weaker, not stronger. Instead of sending our soldiers to blood-stained sands of the Middle East, let’s care for veterans here at home and instead of ill-fated adventurism, let’s put America first,” Gaetz said in a statement on Tuesday, according to Breitbart.

The proposal comes as the Pentagon announced this week the withdrawal of U.S. troops from five military bases in Afghanistan. According to The Hill, DOD’s Chief Spokesperson Jonathan Hoffman confirmed that the number of U.S. troops in the region is “in the mid-8000s,” adding that the five bases were turned over to “our Afghan partners.”

International

Mental health crisis spikes among Afghan women after Taliban regained control two years ago

Published

2 days ago

September 21, 2023

Sara Carter Staff

The women of Afghanistan are suffering a mental health crisis since the Taliban regained power two years ago. According to a joint report from three U.N. agencies released Tuesday, approximately 70% of women experience feelings of anxiety, isolation and depression.

The numbers continue to rise, as there has already been a significant jump between April and June of this year alone, with an increase from 57% the preceding quarter.

The report, conducted by U.N. Women, the International Organization for Migration and the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, interviewed women online, in-person and in group consultations as well as individual telesurveys.

592 Afghan women in 22 of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces took part in the study. The Associated Press reports:

They have barred women from most areas of public life and work and banned girls from going to school beyond the sixth grade. They have prohibited Afghan women from working at local and non-governmental organizations. The ban was extended to employees of the United Nations in April.

Opportunities to study continued to shrink as community-based education by international organizations was banned and home-based schooling initiatives were regularly shut down by the de facto authorities — a term use by the U.N. for the Taliban government.

Afghanistan is the only country in the world with restrictions on female education and the rights of Afghan women and children are on the agenda of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

The report also served as a vessel for Afghan women to send a message to the rest of the world: do not validate the Taliban government. Forty-six percent of women said international recognition of the Taliban government should not happen under any circumstances, while 50% warned that recognition should only occur under specific conditions contingent on improving women’s rights.

The report notes that the women expressed concern that recognition would only encourage the Taliban government to continue becoming stricter in their policies and practices against women and girls.

Afghan women had specific ideas and suggestions: they “urged the international community to continue political and economic sanctions against the Taliban, including by not granting exemptions to a travel ban. They urged an increase in engagement with the Taliban on gender equality and women’s rights, including by engaging community and religious leaders in awareness and advocacy efforts” writes the Associated Press.