Over the weekend, the Taliban in Afghanistan killed 10 aid workers, including six Americans who were providing medical support to the Afghan people. The doctors, nurses and technicians were on an expedition to deliver eye care in a remote area of Afghanistan before they were killed.
According to Afghan witnesses who had escaped, they were lined up by men in red beards and summarily executed with AK-47s. Led by American doctor Tom Little, of Delmar, New York, the group had been working for the International Assistance Mission, a Christian outfit that has operated in Afghanistan since 1966 but does no proselytizing.
The murders are a window on the threat that thousands of Afghans face every day if they dare to cooperate with the Afghan government. The assassinations and disfigurements (cutting off ears or arms) are a war tactic, designed to make it harder for the government to collect intelligence and deliver services to win over the population. The attacks on aid workers are likewise intended to isolate Afghans from Western assistance that could improve their lives.
To those who oppose the war, this should signal a reminder on how badly the war is going, but it also has far deeper meaning. What the future holds for Afghanistan should the Taliban regain power after the U.S. withdraws. What happens to all the young girls who have been attending school, what happens to all the females should we leave before stabilizing the country. It’s easy to criticize our efforts when we live in peace, but no one speaks of what will happen to the Afghan people under the Taliban. It should give us cause to think!
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