By providing the Al-Qaeda Network with a safe haven, the Taliban caused the United States and the rest of the world being witnessed with the September 11 incident. Early on the morning of September 11, 2001, terrorist hijackers had seized control of the planes, and then deliberately flew them into the buildings. Terrorists took control of a third plane and crashed into the Pentagon. Hijackers also seized a fourth airplane, but passengers heroically attacked the hijackers, causing that plane to crash in Pennsylvania. In all, thousands of people died. The United States accused the Al-Qaeda Network, especially it’s leader Bin Laden, of being behind the attacks and asked the Taliban for surrender of him. Taliban denied the request of the United States. Then the United States decided to overthrow the Taliban regime and conducted a new foreign policy, the war on terror.
Since the September 11, Afghanistan that had already been left alone once more emerged as a central, hot subject of international newspapers’ political debate. The international press launched a massive project of representing the Taliban as a terrorist group that was too dangerous for international security. The United States made a special effort to convince the world public-opinion that the Taliban group was really an obvious, serious threat to international security. This effort was appreciable and the group’s real picture was the same as the United States tried to show for public opinion. Since its appearance, the group has showed nothing for the people of Afghanistan and the rest of the world but killing of innocent people in large scale and devastating of the country’s infrastructures. We, as the people of Afghanistan, remember no happy memory of the Taliban era when they were controlling the whole country except some area two decades ago. When we hear their name our mind become full of bad memories they impose daily on the people of the country.
Recently, some internal, regional and international press are editing the Taliban’s picture and trying to show an acceptable picture of the group for public opinion. They are trying to release a picture of the Taliban that is in compliance with humanitarian practices. This effort has increased in parallel with the negotiations between Taliban and the United States and then with peace negotiations between the government and the Taliban group. These presses are linked to political agenda and the picture they are trying to show from the Taliban group is fake and not the real picture of the group. These press picture from the Taliban is in contrast with their real picture. If the Taliban group’s real picture is going to be drawn, it is the people of Afghanistan whom are most deserved to do this job due to first-hand experience they have from the group’s brutality. No one can draw a picture from the Taliban group which is in complete compliance with the realities.
Representing the Taliban as patriot, peaceful people, and hateful of war and violence is seems more a funny joke and has no root in the land of reality. The patriotism of those who are in grip of the foreign intelligence services and have no freedom to make a choice for themselves is as wrong as their love of live and hatred of war and violence.
These press efforts representing the group as good human beings is in clear contrast with the wish and desire of a nation, Afghan nation. The main function of the press is reflecting the reality. The media reflect reality as it is and deny reflecting it as it must be. Every effort of a press to draw a fake picture of a reality is against the nature of it. But some internal, regional and international press ignoring their main function which is loyalty to the truth are making an endeavor to draw an attractive picture of the Taliban group and provide them with the ground of regaining political power. For example, the NYT had published one of the Taliban group’s leaders’ article a few months ago and gave him the opportunity to express his opinion. These efforts will not reach to a conclusion they want. These actions reduce the credit of free press in the eye of Afghan people. The people of Afghanistan and the rest of the world know the group very well. Killing of innocent people, depriving the young generation of education, devastating of the country’s infrastructures, and committing war and violence are the group’s main characteristics. Afghans know the group by these characteristics. These characteristics are extracted from the group’s behavior since their emergence as an insurgent group in Afghanistan. It is really shameful for a free press to take a position which is in sympathy with the terrorists and in contradiction with a nation’s desire and wish. Afghans have paid too much to build a democratic system and deserved to have a society with political stability and constitutions. These press efforts to draw a fake picture of the Taliban group are clearly against democracy and are support of non-democratic political systems.
Afghans have experienced too many difficult and tough times in their history and will prevail the current situation too. But they will never forget those press which have tried to weaken the people’s stance and strengthened their enemy’s position. Those who have tried to replace the Taliban’s real picture with a fake one will never be forgiven by Afghans. The Taliban have not changed and those who believe in the change in the Taliban are obviously wrong. The Taliban’s behavior in some districts which have been recently controlled by the group is a clear example of that issue. They have committed many atrocities and even forced some girls to marry their personnel. They have banned women of going out without having one of their relatives accompanying them. So every effort which is drawing a fake picture of the Taliban group is condemned in failure and will not burnt any fruit, but instead makes the Afghan people distrustful of the free press.