Fighting the new , nameless war in Afghanistan by Hannah Denys
WHEN THE TALIBAN retook control of Afghanistan in August 2021 , 20 years after their expulsion by U . S . troops , the American War ended . During those two decades of war , 200,000 Afghans tragically lost their lives . But now , a potentially more dangerous war is brewing . This nameless war has no clear enemy . Instead , it is a battle of survival for the Afghan people .
Throughout the spring and summer of 2021 , a third wave of COVID spread across the country like wildfire . With limited ways to protect themselves , a lack of understanding about the virus , and virtually no access to the vaccine to prevent it , countless Afghans succumbed to illness and death . When the Taliban seized power in August , the battle for survival intensified .
Government services and international aid have all but ceased leaving Afghanistan ’ s economy on the verge of collapse . Only 5 % of households report they have enough food to eat , and with winter fast approaching , the outlook is grim . Most at risk are more than 400,000 women and children who have been displaced since the beginning of 2021 .
Penniless , homeless , and with no way to support themselves , they are on the frontlines of this new , nameless war .
30 | JOURNEY OF HOPE CENTRAL ASIA INSTITUTE