Former US President George W. Bush, whose administration began the US-led war against the Taliban in 2001, has told DW he fears for the fate of women in Afghanistan after American and NATO troops leave the country.
US troops are set to have left Afghanistan by the end of AugustImage: picture-alliance/AP Photo/Operation Resolute Support Headquarters/Sgt. Justin T. Updegraff
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Afghanistan troop withdrawal a mistake, says George W. Bush
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Former US President George W. Bush has labeled the withdrawal of US and NATO troops from Afghanistan "a mistake," in an interview with DW.
"I'm afraid Afghan women and girls are going to suffer unspeakable harm," he said, adding that he was also concerned for translators and other people who gave support to foreign troops in Afghanistan. "They're just going to be left behind to be slaughtered by these very brutal people, and it breaks my heart."
Bush's comments refer to the hardline Islamic Taliban that are making sweeping gains across the country amid the drawdown of US and NATO forces, set to be complete by September — 20 years after the war began.
The former US president sent troops to Afghanistan in autumn 2001, following the September 11 terror attacks in the United States.
Bush added that he believed German Chancellor Angela Merkel "feels the same way" about the pullout.
When DW asked Kabul-based journalist Ali Latifi about Bush's comments, he said: "I think it's very interesting that he's suddenly, you know, concerned about women and children," adding, "his war made a lot of widows and made a lot of children orphans."
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Ending a 20-year war
US and NATO forces began withdrawing from Afghanistan in early May.
Italy has also declared the end of its mission in Afghanistan and Poland has already brought all its troops home.
US and NATO troops on July 2 vacated the symbolic Bagram Air Base in Kabul, which was once the epicenter of the US military's operations in the country.
As US troops leave, Afghanistan buried under American trash
The Bagram Air Base was the headquarters of US forces in Afghanistan for nearly 20 years. The base has been emptying out since the spring, leaving tons of garbage behind.
Image: Adek Berry/Getty Images/AFP
Scrap as far as the eye can see
Historians may debate the political legacy of the US mission in Afghanistan. But the physical legacy is clear in the massive amounts of scrap metal and trash left behind. The US military's exit from Bagram Air Base is part of Washington's plans to completely withdraw troops from Afghanistan before the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
Image: Adek Berry/Getty Images/AFP
Where to put all the garbage?
US soldiers will either take their equipment with them or give it to local security forces. But troops will leave plenty behind — such as junk, packaging and electronic waste. More than a 100,000 US troops have served at Bagram since 2001. The base, 70 kilometers north (40 miles) of Kabul, has grown into a small American town, complete with a shopping center and fast-food restaurants.
Image: Adek Berry/Getty Images/AFP
One man's garbage, another man's treasure
The junkyard just outside the base has become popular with fortune hunters. They come in large numbers to sift through the trash, on the lookout for something useful — like this pair of military boots. Their hope is to sell what they find for money.
Image: Adek Berry/Getty Images/AFP
Searching for electronic treasure
Large amounts of electronic waste are also buried in the dump. People are on the lookout for circuit boards that contain parts and screws that can be reused. Some even contain valuable materials like copper and even tiny amounts of gold. For Americans, it's all garbage. But for Afghans who earn just €500 ($695) a year, it's something of a treasure.
Image: Adek Berry/Getty Images/AFP
What will become of Bagram?
Bagram, at the foot of the Hindu Kush mountains, has a long history as an army base. The Soviet army used the base during its invasion in 1979. Many now fear that when the Americans leave, Bagram will fall into the hands of the Taliban — a strategic victory for the Islamists.
Image: imago images
A risky withdrawal
Troops have been officially withdrawing since May 1 and there's no time to get rid of the garbage as well. Heavy weapons and additional forces were kept on standby for possible Taliban attacks during the withdrawal. In the final weeks leading up to the withdrawal, a total of 36 NATO and partner countries were still involved in the mission, including 2,500 American soldiers and 1,100 from Germany.
Image: Adek Berry/Getty Images/AFP
Women at work
Here, a girl salvages a battered metal crate from the scrapyard. Despite the hardships, girls and women have profited the most from the US-led military mission and the fall of the Taliban in 2001. They have been able to attend school and, as adults, work in areas previously inaccessible to them, including high court offices and other institutions.
Image: Adek Berry/Getty Images/AFP
People left behind
Some people find things of pure sentimental value in the junkyard, to remind them of the base. Numerous settlements of local Afghan forces have sprung up around Bagram, and their existence has depended on the base. Many now wonder what will become of them and their families.
Image: Adek Berry/Getty Images/AFP
What remains?
So what's left of the US presence in the Hindu Kush, aside from worn-out boots and rusty wire? US President Joe Biden promised a "sustained" partnership during a June 25 White House meeting with his Afghan counterpart, Ashraf Ghani. Millions of Afghan will be taking Biden at his word.
Image: Adek Berry/Getty Images/AFP
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Who is in control of Afghanistan?
Political and military control have been handed to the Afghan government, which was meant to be carrying out peace talks with the Taliban.
But the Taliban have been carrying out an offensive, particularly in Afghanistan's rural areas, bringing more territories under their control.
Biden last week ruled out further intervention in the country, saying the US had achieved its objectives of getting "the terrorists who attacked us on 9/11 and to deliver justice to Osama Bin Laden, and to degrade the terrorist threat."
He said: "We did not go to Afghanistan to nation-build. And it's the right and the responsibility of the Afghan people alone to decide their future and how they want to run their country."
Asked about the legacy of the war in Afghanistan, journalist Ali Lafiti said: "The fact that we're having these questions is the legacy, right? The fact that the Taliban is still able to pose a threat to the government and to security forces, the fact that we're still having these battles and the fact that we're still asking what might happen to women, to children, to interpreters, you know, 20 years down the line — that is the legacy."
