american monster
I covered the war in Afghanistan and went back after the Taliban took over.
General Abdul Raziq is one of the United States’ staunchest allies in the fight against the Taliban. Young and charismatic, he was a brave warrior who earned the loyalty and respect of his men. He helped push back the Taliban in the key battleground of Kandahar, even as Taliban militants advanced across Afghanistan.
But until his assassination in 2018, his success was built on torture, extrajudicial killings and kidnappings. In the name of security, he turned the Kandahar police into an unfettered fighting force. His officers were trained, armed and paid by the United States with no regard for human rights or due process, according to one source. The Times investigates thousands of cases.Most victims are never seen again.
Washington’s strategy in Afghanistan is aimed at defeating the Taliban by winning the hearts and minds of the people it is supposed to be fighting for. But Razik exemplified a flaw in the plan. The United States empowers warlords, corrupt politicians, and outright criminals in the name of military expediency. The agents it chooses tend to do whatever it takes to achieve their ends.
In today’s newsletter I will explain how people like Raziq are used to drive many Afghans to join the Taliban. It also persuades others, including those who may be sympathetic to U.S. goals, that a U.S.-backed central government cannot be trusted to solve Afghanistan’s problems. If the United States has any chance of eradicating the Taliban, its war strategy makes it much more difficult.
barbaric action
My colleague Mathieu Akins and I have been covering Afghanistan for many years. After America’s chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan, we were suddenly able to visit people and places that were off-limits during the war. We headed there hoping to find out what really happened during America’s longest war.
Together with a team of Afghan researchers, we combed through more than 50,000 handwritten complaints held in the ledgers of the former US-backed Kandahar government. We found details on nearly 2,200 suspected disappearances. From there, we went to hundreds of homes in Kandahar.
We found nearly 1,000 people who said their loved ones were taken or killed by government security forces. We verified nearly 400 cases, often with eyewitnesses to the abductions. We also corroborated their accounts through Afghan police reports, affidavits, and other government records they submitted. In each of the enforced disappearances, the person’s whereabouts remain unknown.
Even then, U.S. officials were aware of Razik’s malicious intent. “Sometimes we ask Razik about alleged human rights violations, and when we get the answer, we say, ‘Wow, I hope we don’t implicate ourselves in war crimes just because we heard about this,'” Henry Ensher recalled State Department officials who served in various capacities on Afghanistan. “We knew what we were doing, but we felt we had no choice,” Ensher said.
cost
It would be too simplistic to say that Razik’s strategy was entirely in vain. They were instrumental in some ways, reestablishing government control of Kandahar and driving the insurgents into the hinterland. Raziq has won the admiration of many who oppose the Taliban. More than a dozen U.S. officials said the Taliban’s advance would have been much faster without him.
But Razik’s methods took their toll. They inspired so much hostility among their victims that the Taliban turned his brutality into a recruiting tool. Taliban officials posted videos of him on WhatsApp to attract new militants.
Many Afghans came to insult the U.S.-backed government and everything it stood for. “None of us supported the Taliban, at least not at first,” said Fazul Rahman, whose brother was kidnapped in front of witnesses during Raziq’s rule. “But when the government fell, I ran through the streets with joy.”
Even some who cheered Raziq’s ruthlessness lamented the corruption and crime he unleashed—a key reason for the Afghan government’s collapse in 2021. After Razik’s death, his commanders went further. They extorted ordinary people and stole wages and supplies from their own people. “In the name of democracy, they brought a system in the hands of a few mafia groups,” said a Kandahar resident who initially supported the government. “People are starting to hate democracy.”
Historians and scholars will spend years debating whether the United States could have succeeded. The world’s richest country invaded one of the world’s poorest countries and tried to reshape it by installing a new government. Such efforts elsewhere have failed.
But America’s mistakes — enabling ruthless killers, turning allies into enemies, fostering rampant corruption — make the failure of its longest war at least partly self-inflicted. Mathieu and I will spend the next few months telling this story from across Afghanistan.
read Azam investigationand Watch him explain How it comes together.
More headlines
Photographer Emile Ducke captured this photo of Ukrainians fleeing Russia’s advance in the Kharkiv region. A woman looked out the window and left without her husband. “He didn’t want to leave,” she said.
Others stuffed as many items as possible into their bags. There was no time. Read the story behind the picture.
How to become a vegetarian
If you’re thinking about switching to vegetarianism or a more plant-based diet, you may have questions or even concerns. We can help you get started.
Veganize your favorite foods: Giving up eating meat doesn’t mean giving up a beloved taste. If you like chicken parmesan, opt for parmesan made with mushrooms or eggplant.
Don’t worry about protein. We consulted a nutrition expert who recommended including at least one serving of high-protein foods at each meal, such as beans, lentils, nuts, nut butters, seeds, tofu, eggs and dairy products.
See full list of tips Our vegetarian guide.
