President Joe Biden is increasing the amount of U.S. troops headed into Afghanistan. Conditions continue to deteriorate with Taliban forces mounting further offensives aimed at taking control of the country.
“It’s just an unmitigated disaster happening faster than anyone thought,” said Nancy Soderberg, former United Nations Ambassador and current director of the public service leadership program at the University of North Florida. “The experts thought it might take several years for this to happen. The idea that it’s happened this quickly is just a disaster for the people of Afghanistan.”
“The red line for the administration, both President Trump and President Biden, in negotiating with the Taliban is that there will be no return of terrorists to the region, which would trigger a return of international forces,” Soderberg said. “And I think that red line will not be crossed right away.”
Soderberg said the bigger question in the country will be what happens to women and girls who she fears will be terrorized. She’s not sure whether the international community will still be able to protect them.
Many people are fleeing the country right now and it appears the only city where you can find a flight is in the nation’s capital of Kabul. And those flights are becoming harder to find.