Sonder

Howl and Sophie <3

Timelapse video and lineart download will be available on patreon!

I am by NO means an expert on the whole situation, so its absolutely worth looking up everything I say here for some more detail and etc, but the long and short of it is: America and all the other countries that have been involved in "the war on terror" for the last 20 years (a war which has primarily been based in Afghanistan, and which has DECIMATED much of the country) have all pulled out; quite suddenly, and with little to no handover process to even attempt to make sure that everything wouldnt fall to pieces in their wake.

And the SECOND that all the foreign countries moved out, the Taliban moved in, and have captured the majority of the country within a week, including Kabul today, 16 Aug 21, which was a) where the Afghan President was and b) was pretty much the last city that hadn't been taken by the Taliban.

There are countless displaced Afghan civilians, who have been driven from their homes in fear for their lives, and who are now refugees. Some of them made it out of the area in time; some didnt and are now hemmed in on all sides by Taliban forces.

There are multiple reports, from a BUNCH of different cities that they've taken, that the Taliban are torturing and slowly murdering anyone that they think helped any foreign power -- this includes translators who worked with foreign armies, cooks, cleaners, drivers, etc. Litwrally, if there is anyone the Taliban suspects of interacting with foreign military and doing anything other than spitting in their face, the Taliban is now viciously murdering those people.

There are also numerous reports that they are taking women and female children and forcibly marrying them off to Taliban members. I'm sure you can imagine how consenting the marriages and all they entail are on the part of the women/girls involved.

There are also reports of them recruiting young boys and men to their forces, and torturing and murdering anyone who doesn't immediately agree to sign up.

The US and its allies (Australia, UK, Canada, etc) have spent twenty years fucking up Afghanistan under the guise of "helping them to create a democracy." What we actually did was further destabilise an already destabilised nation, commit a shittonne of war crimes, and then leave them all at the not-so-tender mercies of a militia who have now, within a week, taken over the country, and who will conscript or murder their male civilians, and who will rape and/or murder their female civilians.

The various governments around the world are "shocked" at how quickly this has happened, but note!!! They knew it would happen. They're surprised by the speed with which the Taliban have taken over the country, but they have been open about knowing full well that it was only a matter of time. Their initial estimates were three months. Because three months is suuuuch a long time when you're an Afghan citizen with no means of escape who is staring down the barrel of, at best, a return to the oppressive ways of militant extremists, and, at worst, torture and murder for anyone who doesn't comply with the Taliban's whims.

The US et al occupation of Afghanistan has been appalling from the get-go, but its a brand new crime to leave the country without a leg to stand on knowing full well that within three months at best, the whole country would be under the thumb of rulers who would rape and murder their women, and torture and murder their men.

The governments in question have all been Very Stern And Gruff about telling everyone that they got their people out. My shitbag prime minister today assured the country that the Australians have all been evacuated, and other countries are doing the same.

But guess what!! The fucks i give are not limited to Australians!! I also happen to give a shit to all the Afghan people who have been left to deal with this!! I give a shit about the female journalists who are on the run because the Taliban hate free press almost as much as they hate women, so to be a female journalist is a double-banger of a crime in their eyes, so anyone who's both those things is currently being hunted down!! I also give a shit about the millions of displaced Afghan citizens who've been driven out of their homes!! I also give a shit about the sons who are being murdered in front of their families, and the girls who are being kidnapped and married to Taliban men, and the people who had to do their best to make a living while the foreign armies were there, and who will now pay with their lives for "helping the enemy."

This got longer than I planned. Theres a lot going on; this barely skims the surface.

Afghan Child Education And Care Organization (AFCECO) (orphanage)