Preston Xanthopoulos: Why are we meeting with Taliban terrorists?

Pakistan International Airlines has suspended flights to Afghanistan because the Taliban is imposing “unworkable” conditions, it’s staff were dealt with “very heavy-handedly by the new [Taliban] command”, and PIA's representative was "held up at gun point for hours when he left the Pakistan embassy compound”, among other claims of “intimidation”. 

In related news, United States officials met with Taliban leaders recently to discuss terrorism, security and humanitarian efforts and our side called the meeting “candid and professional”.  I’ve never heard of a terrorist regime referred to as “professional”. As for “candid”, they apparently “candidly” asked us to give them money for “humanitarian” aid, which we reportedly agreed to even though I know it will never see the people of Afghanistan and “candidly” asked to be officially recognized as a government, which we didn’t say yes to, but also didn’t say no. 

Why are we meeting with a terrorist group that just week’s ago violently took over a recognized nation during a rapid coup? Why is Pakistan willing to be tougher on the Taliban than we are?

Last month, a 22-year-old Afghan journalist covered a women’s protest in Kabul.  He and a colleague were taken to a police station run by Taliban fighters and, "All of them started beating me with whatever they had in their hands — with whips, batons, with rubber, with wood. With whatever torturing tool they had, they beat me until I passed out.”

The "chief enforcer” of the strict Taliban interpretation of Islamic law told the Associated Press, now that they’re back in charge, executions and hand amputations as punishments will begin again, although, they’ve softened, they may not do that in stadiums anymore. He noted, “Cutting off of hands is very necessary for security.”

After stopping teenage girls form going to school, they’ve allowed them back in some rural areas, but, not in Kabul.  If you live in Kabul and you are a teenage girl, your education is over and so are your dreams for your future.

They’ve replaced the government’s cabinet, with all men. In Kabul, all female government employees were fired and told only jobs that men can’t fill will be filled by women. One Taliban leader noting, “If there is no need for women to work, we will not let them.” He’s not talking about the need of the women, he’s talking the need of the Taliban.  

Women protesting for rights have been beaten and The United Nations Human Rights Office says protests by women are being met with an, "increasingly violent response”. 

In some parts of Afghanistan, women are again, after 20 years of freedom, being forced to cover themselves with Burkas. The penalty for failing to comply is beatings. 

Since August, Taliban have been going door-to-door looking for girls 15 and up to force into marriage and be raped. 

An intelligence report submitted to the United Nation says that the Taliban are also going door-to-door across the country “hunting” for those that helped the U.S. and torturing and killing them. 

These are the people we sent United States diplomats to meet with. Just having that meeting is recognition of the Taliban as a government. Why did we do that and why would we characterize these terrorists as “professional”? For a nation that prides itself on freedom and equality, it’s shameful. 

It is uniformly recognized that our withdrawal from Afghanistan after 20 years, was a complete and deadly disaster. Whether you agree or disagree with whether we should have stayed or not, our departure and subsequent downfall of the recognized Afghan government was an abject failure. We have no intelligence on the ground and in a matter of weeks Afghanistan has returned to its primitive and medieval ways. There is nothing we can truly do, since we aren’t there. We can give them money, but, why would we believe the actual suffering people would ever see a grain of rice from that.  We can’t protect women, we aren’t there. We can’t force them to let girls go to school.  Sure, we can do “sanctions”, but what does that mean if we’re giving them money for something else with no enforcement mechanism on its usage? 

We haven’t just lost this battle, we’ve lost this war.  Which is heart wrenching for me to say, because so many brave men and women fought so hard and so long to try to do what is right not just for our nation, but for the people of another.

As I watch the atrocities unfold in Afghanistan, I simply cannot understand why the United States is treating it as simply a country that needs some help; treating the Taliban as though they are a legitimate and recognized government. Our government cries about women’s inequality in the United States and yet, will shake the hands of men, literally and figuratively, who impose laws and policies that give women fewer rights than we give dogs in the United States. 

It is time to stop treating the Taliban as any kind of equal on the world stage and treat them for what they are: terrorist thugs. 

Alicia Preston Xanthopoulos is a former political consultant and member of the media. She’s a native of Hampton Beach where she lives with her family and three poodles. The views expressed are those of the writer. Write to her at PrestonPerspective@gmail.com