Did the War in Afghanistan Have to Happen?

 

In 2001, when the Taliban were weak and ready to surrender, the U.S. passed on a deal. Nearly 20 years later, the Taliban hold all the cards.

By Alissa J. Rubin

Published Aug. 23, 2021Updated Sept. 2, 2021

 Taliban fighters brandished Kalashnikovs and shook their fists in the air after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, defying American warnings that if they did not hand over Osama Bin Laden, their country would be bombed to smithereens.

Threats and Fear Cause Afghan Women’s Protections to Vanish Overnight

 

By Alissa J. Rubin

Sept. 4, 2021Updated 11:00 a.m. ET

 As the Taliban advanced, safe houses for women closed, and the staff sheltered girls at home as relatives released from prison threatened to kill them.

 It took years for Women for Afghan Women to build up Afghanistan’s largest network of women’s protection services — 32 safe houses, family guidance centers and children’s homes in 14 provinces, growing by word of mouth and driven by the intense need for their services.