Bush slams Afghanistan pullout
WASHINGTON: Former US president George W Bush has joined the growing chorus of criticism of the complete pullout of troops from Afghanistan ordered by President Joe Biden and publicly called it a mistake that would lead to “unbelievably bad” consequences.
Bush had ordered US forces into Afghanistan in search of al-qaeda perpetrators of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001. They had overthrown the brutal and regressive regime of the Taliban that was sheltering al-qaeda, and stayed on to fight terror groups, many of whom fled to safe havens in Pakistan.
“I think it is, yeah,” Bush said to German broadcaster Deutsche Welle (DW) when asked if pulling out of Afghanistan completely is a mistake. “Because I think the consequences are going to be unbelievably bad.”
Bush has generally desisted from speaking on politics or policy since leaving office and has focused more on his artwork - he paints - and work with veterans.
Taliban bring back rules targeting women’s rights
Days after the Taliban captured a remote district in Afghanistan’s north, they issued their first orders in the form of a letter to a local cleric. It said women can’t go to the marketplace without a male companion, and men shouldn’t shave their beards, said a Kalafgan district resident.
The insurgents also banned smoking, he added, and warned that anybody violating the rules “will be seriously dealt with”.
With inputs from agencies