America was very far-off: Afghans bear in mind 9/11 and the way it modified their world

When the hijacked planes crashed into the World Trade Centre within the United States, Afghans had been nonetheless reeling from their very own Al-Qaeda tragedy.

Militants from the group had two days earlier assassinated Ahmad Shah Massoud — the resistance icon who repelled each the Soviet army and the Taliban from his native Panjshir Valley.As Afghans grappled together with his dying, occasions had been unfolding within the United States that had been to dramatically change the course of their nation’s future. But for some, the importance of the incident handed them by.”That evening I listened to the news… there was talk of an attack in America,” Abdul Rahman, a retired authorities worker who was in his twenties on the time, informed AFP.”I didn’t care because there was always talk of attacks and war on the radio,” he mentioned.In the approaching days, nevertheless, as Afghans learnt that Al-Qaeda militants hiding in their very own yard had masterminded the assaults — and their Taliban rulers had been blamed for sheltering the group — many realised their world was about to be remodeled.”I did not think America would attack Afghanistan in revenge,” mentioned Abdul Rahman. “I thought America was very far away.”Abdul Samad, a librarian in Kandahar, remembers seeing crowds collect round a newspaper stand, the pages lined with photos of the dual towers assault.”It was almost two days after the incident,” he informed AFP. It was, nevertheless, the start of an “unacceptable occupation”.”They had sought an excuse to come to Afghanistan. It was an excuse to occupy this land.”When the Taliban refused to surrender Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden, the US moved in — overthrowing the hardline regime which had held energy since 1996 in a matter of weeks.But Qiyamuddin, a locksmith from Kandahar, mentioned any hope he had of the American-led invasion therapeutic many years of conflict and battle in Afghanistan rapidly evaporated.”They made a mess by coming here,” he told AFP.As the war dragged on and the Taliban resurfaced, foreign troops were accused of disrespecting Afghan religion and traditions — and civilian casualties mounted.”People had been optimistic and (Afghan) refugees from different nations like Pakistan and Iran got here again,” said Qiyamuddin. “They had been unaware we had been going to face extra troubles.”Noorullah, a teacher, remembers watching news of the attack on a TV hidden in the basement of a relative’s house — the Taliban had banned the medium as un-Islamic.”It seemed horrible. They had been repeatedly exhibiting the towers on hearth,” he said. A brief period of peace followed after the Taliban were ejected, but it would not last.”When the Taliban had been gone, individuals had been completely happy, they might at the least breathe freedom,” he said. But as time passed, he “began to imagine the US had come to a unsuitable place. It was a lure for them”.”And 20 years later… I used to be proper,” he told AFP. “The Taliban are again. The identical individuals, faces and angle are again.”