Don’t lose sight of the real reason for the horror in Kabul

The sudden fall of Kabul has sparked a chaotic race to escape the Taliban (Metro, Tue). Some writing in MetroTalk on the Afghanistan fiasco focus on the US and UK. It’s a classic kind of oversight to point fingers at a consequential secondary issue rather than the primary issue – in this case, the Taliban.

The problem for ordinary Afghans is the Taliban. The US military was keeping them at bay with its presence there – the West was protecting Afghanistan.

Do people not appreciate who the Taliban are or what they are willing to do in the name of their faith?

Joe Biden’s terrible decision to pull out in the roughshod manner he chose created this humanitarian disaster but the Taliban are the main problem. They are why it’s chaos there now.

Steve, Ipswich

What an utter betrayal of the Afghan people by America and Britain’s rotten leaders. The Taliban will undoubtedly return Afghanistan to a primitive existence, where women and girls face a miserable future used by barbarians for sex and childbearing.

George W Bush and Tony Blair should also feel ashamed of themselves for unnecessarily invading Iraq in 2003, instead of concentrating resources on Afghanistan. Kabul’s fall is Joe Biden’s and Boris Johnson’s disgrace.

Dominic Shelmerdine, London

Hardly fair to blame Boris or Biden for the fiasco in Afghanistan. It was a problem that they inherited from the monumental vanity and folly of their predecessors, George W Bush and Tony Blair.

William, Hastings

The scenes of Afghans fleeing Kabul airport were very disturbing. If the UK is bringing over refugees, it should be women and children first – those who are the most likely to suffer under the Taliban. The women in that country have very few human rights, no matter which regime is in charge.

Rudi, Glasgow

I get that the US couldn’t stay in Afghanistan forever and that 20 years was plenty long enough but to just up sticks and go with no consideration whatsoever for those left behind – including American citizens! – is beyond belief.

They should have had tabs on what the Taliban were up to the whole time they were there. But now we see thousands of Afghans fleeing for their lives and it could have been avoided. Shocking.

Judy, Shropshire

I agree with what Kate, Pat and Tom said (MetroTalk, Mon) – the US has a habit of starting wars and not seeing them through by quitting and leaving the rest of the world to clean up the mess.

Afghan lives lost in that country will be on president Biden’s hands and conscience. How can he claim to be a humanitarian if he rushed the armed forces home and left behind countless others (Afghans) who have helped the US during these past 20 years, to face their fate with the Taliban?

Sarah, Woolwich

My heart goes out to all the victims of the Afghan war – they must feel very low and let down. As a member of the general public I know you did your duty and served us bravely. As usual, the politicians let us down – again!

Tony, London

The sad plight of tens of thousands of people fleeing Kabul, desperate to protect themselves and their families, should shame the West. The West has their blood on its hands.

Scott, West London

I don’t think we in the West should try to influence how other societies should work, surely that’s up to their leaders. Tolerance of others and other countries is the way forward, not brute force.

If we had a world government, we could do away with all these armies and proxy wars.