Euronews dış ilişkiler muhabiri Anelise Borges'in Afganistan izlenimleri

 Can the Taliban be trusted?

By Anelise Borges, Euronews International Affairs Correspondent 

That’s the number one question people ask me when I say I spent time in Afghanistan following the return of the militants to power. I arrived in Kabul shortly after the chaotic withdrawal of Western troops. I stayed two weeks in the capital to understand what the Taliban rule would mean for the country and its people.

Upon my return, I sat down in the editing room and tried to make sense of all the things I saw and learned during my journey. My findings are now condensed in a 50-minute special edition of Euronews Witness, of which I am particularly proud. I can now tell you the full story.

From my first contacts with members of the Taliban, it was clear they were dazed by the magnitude of the challenge. Foot soldiers themselves told me they didn’t expect the Afghan government to collapse so fast. “We thought it would take us months to enter Kabul”, many of them told me. And now here they were – in charge, responsible for a country in disarray.

Yes, because Afghanistan was already in deep trouble before the return of the Taliban: severe drought and subsequent flash flooding meant half of the population was in need of some level of humanitarian assistance, the economy was in shambles, corruption was rife and a large number of educated youths still sought opportunities abroad.

Moreover, security remained a problem with government soldiers unable to face their multiple enemies which included, although not exclusively, the Taliban. (ISIS-K has been conducting attacks across the country's borders for years).

But Afghanistan was “on a path, on the road to something”, as Nabeela, a student I met in a protest against the new rulers in central Kabul, told me. Losing that hope of better days, she said, was the hardest part for ordinary Afghans.

Meanwhile, the Taliban insisted better days were to come. The first foot soldier who agreed to speak to me said he urged all those who had left to “come back to Afghanistan” because together “they would build this country”.

The Taliban repeatedly promised they would “govern for all Afghans”. They vowed this divided nation – split in almost every way possible along ethic, tribal, ideological lines – would get an inclusive administration.

And yet, the interim government announced by the Taliban is made up exclusively of members of the group. Evidence of reprisals against members of the old regime – including torture and even murder – continue to inundate social media.

Weary after decades of conflict, Afghans yearn for peace. But if the first few months are anything to go by, the Taliban have a long way to go until they can deliver that.

Whether the group can be trusted remains the central question.

Nearly three months since coming to power, they have so far failed to deliver most promises: economic activity is still at a halt, most schools and universities remain inaccessible for women, and their government is anything but “inclusive”.

I guess the follow-up question should be whether – and when – the Taliban will rise to the challenge and lead Afghanistan into a future that it’s at least different from its turbulent past.

And if the rest of the world should help it do that.