Five years after Kabul fell, how India has warmed up to the Taliban

Five years after the fall of Kabul, the ghosts of the war on terror have returned. The Western powers’ brutal carceral laboratories, such as Bagram and Camp Bucca, inadvertently cultivated the leadership that ultimately dismantled their imperial presence. Activists representing the men still held at Guantanamo Bay protested outside the White House in January 2023.

Five years ago, the world watched in disbelief as the U.S. military aircraft left Kabul, marking the end of a 20-year occupation. While the images of desperate people clinging to aircraft resembled the panic of Saigon in 1975, the reality on the streets of Kabul was peaceful and orderly. The capital did not fall to heavy artillery or urban warfare; instead, the transition of power to the Islamic Emirate was remarkably peaceful.

For the author, this transition was a historical bookend, as Afghanistan had endured decades of western military might without resorting to violence. The author notes that the West's defeat was entirely avoidable and that historical lessons were not learned from past failures, such as Britain's three wars in Afghanistan between 1839 and 1919.

Despite claiming they were "never defeated on the battlefield," British military leaders admitted the Taliban's victory was a total strategic failure. The author criticizes the West's demonization of jihad and mujahideen, who played a crucial role in collapsing the Soviet Union in the 1980s. The author also highlights the economic desperation driving Afghans to leave, which is exacerbated by western economic blockades.

The British defence ministry has rejected thousands of elite Afghan commandos who fought for Britain, while those who manage to leave face anti-migrant hatred in their new countries.