By
Raphaela - 22/02/18 -
World
This year marks 100 years since the end of the First World War. Despite this, our world has not learnt many lessons and multiple wars still rage on all over the planet. One of these is the war in Afghanistan.
The war in Afghanistan has been going on for over 2 decades. Hundreds of thousands of lives have been lost and this includes military and civilian deaths. The power of the Taliban is spiralling out of control. Since the war began, 15 million Afghanis, which is half of the population of the country, are living in areas which are either controlled or are frequently attacked by the Taliban. Countries that are fighting against the Taliban are the US, the UK, Canada, France, Germany, Denmark , Spain and many more. The American involvement in Afghanistan is the longest and one of the costliest military operations in United States history. And yet, even though Afghanistan's current government is being aided by a very large coalition, the Taliban, whom they are fighting, are still holding very strong.
The Taliban are fighters who are religious but on another level. They are extreme Muslims. They believe all men must grow beards and women have to wear the all-covering burka. They have banned television, music and cinema and no girls aged 10 and over can go to school. They have been fighting for almost 20 years so that their leaders may be in charge of Afghanistan and been causing absolute destruction and devastation to the majority of the population there. The conditions that people are living in are diabolical and very unsanitary. People are dying because of disease and there are not the sufficient recourses to aid those who are hurt or sick. Adults and children are malnourished and in many areas of the country there isn't always enough food or water. And education for children is non-existent in many parts of the country.
Statistics collated from many war-study groups at the end of 2017, show that the Taliban are fully in control in 14 of Afghanistan's districts and present in over 66% of the country's rural areas. A BBC report dated 31st January 2017 claims that they could be in control of 70% of those rural areas by the end of 2018. The Taliban and the US have been fighting every day. Bombs are going off, children are crying, no one feels safe.
When we are back in the comfort of our homes, we really need to make the most of all of our resources like food and water because we need to remember that whilst you may be throwing away that food, someone will be in a war-torn country starving and waiting for even the smallest sips of water and the tiniest crumbs of food.
By : Raphaela