The Taliban’s atrocities against the Afghan people have been further documented by BBC Correspondent Kate Clark. According to Clark, “The Arabs, along with Pakistani militants and Afghans from the Taliban’s heartland in the south are the crack troops in a war which has increasingly turned on civilians.” Separately, United Nations Afghanistan Envoy Francesc Vendrell confirmed the presence of thousands of Arab fighters among Taliban forces. Film footage recently obtained by BBC includes interviews of Afghans who describe the Taliban’s burning of villages, massacres of civilians, and even the militia’s destruction of mosques and Korans.
In a news release yesterday, the Feminist Majority Foundation described how the Taliban, with substantial support from bin Laden, has been leading campaigns of terror against women and women’s rights for years, including brutal punishments for violations of Taliban’s decrees banning education, work, and mobility for women.
Vendrell also urged that any U.S. intervention in Afghanistan should lay the groundwork for a stable government that is representative of Afghan’s ethnic diversity. Feminist Majority President Eleanor Smeal has urged that long-term global security will be achieved only if the full rights of women are restored, humanitarian assistance is provided, commitments are made to help rebuild the country’s economy and democratic infrastructure, and Afghan women play a leadership role in this process.
