As an Afghan-Australian, I find myself increasingly being asked about how I feel about the current situation in Afghanistan.
On March 11th, US Soldier Robert Bales in the dead of night went on a shooting rampage killing 16 Afghan civilians including 9 children, some as young as 2 years old. Some of the victims were later dragged into a room and set on fire.
The latest incident have heightened tensions after US troops burnt copies of the Holy Quran in February, causing protests to erupt across the country resulting in the death of 30 people, including 2 US soldiers. It also follows the release of the infamous video in January showing US marines urinating on the bodies of Afghans that they had killed.
I recall that immediately following the news of the latest incident, a statement was issued by NATO’s International Security Assistance Forces describing the incident as “deeply regrettable”. What happened was a complete massacre, not just a “deeply regrettable” incident. The US troops were deployed to help protect the Afghan people. The trust vested in them by the international community and ultimately the Afghan people, albeit unwillingly in some regards, is no light responsibility and to engage in the horrific acts that they have in recent months and then have NATO describe the indiscriminate murder of 16 defenceless Afghan civilians as “regrettable” is incredibly insulting and a slap in the face of all Afghans.
I note that the terminology used by US President Barack Obama following the incidents was slightly more serious but arguably this was in response to Afghan President Hamid Karzai’s rare expression of strong opposition and anger.
Ironically, the media has put forward a number of potential motives to try and explain Bales’ actions. We have been told that there may have been alcohol involved, he had experienced trauma watching his colleague’s legs being blown off and he was experiencing marital and financial issues. To the complete contrary, an Afghan, according to the Western media, kills foreigners because they are inherently archaic people or hateful, backward terrorists. The hypocrisy is painful to watch. All human beings, irrespective of their ethnicity, background or religious creed, are susceptible to engaging in violent acts of extremism. Period.
I cannot help but feel that if the tables were turned, and the 16 civilians were in fact Americans who happened to be killed in Afghanistan – thanks to the work of investigative journalists we would have known all of their names, their ages, a brief biography and potentially photographs of each of the victims. Media agencies would be jumping at opportunities to get ‘exclusive’ interviews and photo opportunities with the families and friends of the victims. Unfortunately these victims however will forever remain 16 nameless Afghan civilians. Paradoxically, the alleged perpetrator of this crime has been humanised more than the very victims of this massacre. Bales has been described as a “model soldier, who was calm under pressure and gentle with children.”
We can no longer sit back and watch our government pump millions of our tax payer dollars into a decade old war instigated by the US in the ultimate hope of trying to bring stability to the country and to impose a brand of Western-style democracy which the Afghans clearly don’t want.
Clearly there are some examples of where the foreign troops have added value and helped rebuild Afghanistan and for this I am grateful. But on the whole the US led invasion and subsequent decade old war have been a resounding embarrassment and a costly failure. Although we purport to be genuinely concerned about the Afghan people whose country we have invaded, our treatment of Afghan asylum seekers who arrive on our shores seems to suggest otherwise. Clearly we are so concerned for their welfare that we feel the urge to imprison them and their children.
Afghans are well and truly fed up with foreign intervention and as is evident the presence of foreign troops is becoming more counterproductive. The US and its allies invaded Afghanistan over 10 years ago and they haven’t been able to return real stability to the nation.
Arguably, without foreign troops, there is potential for the Taliban to return and wreak havoc. Foreign troops cannot seriously think that they have a mandate to stay in Afghanistan indefinitely though.
In a similar manner to those brave men and women who participated in the Arab Spring, I am hopeful that one day Afghans will take the world by surprise and fight for their democracy on their own terms and on their own feet.
Afghanistan once enjoyed full independence and sovereignty. There is no reason to believe that with time, the removal of all types of foreign intervention including the removal of a US led puppet government and investing more time in establishing a coordinated regional solution, we can’t return to that state.
To assume otherwise, is an insult to the intelligence of the Afghan people.
Mariam Veiszadeh is of Afghan heritage and now part of a family lawyers Melbourne office and Muslim community advocate.
Originally published in The Daily Life 27 March 2012
