The former US diplomat to Afghanistan, Ross Wilson, has expressed concerns about the growing adversities in Afghanistan as the world turned a blind eye to the nation's situation amidst the rising Ukraine-Russia crisis.
Expressing surprise, Wilson said they were hopeful the so-called Islamic Emirate would rather rule "reasonably" this time, providing equal rights to its citizen. Their actions, however, prove they haven't changed much".
We had hopes that some in the United States and elsewhere, that the [Taliban] might rule more reasonably than they had in the 1990s, have proved not to have turned out," he said. "Arguably, the Taliban have returned to who they were before," said Wilson further.
The diplomat had spent many weeks in September in Kabul in evacuating US citizens and vulnerable Afghans from the war-torn country.
When asked whether or not Wilson and his staff did their best to help Afghans under the circumstances, he said it was an "unprecedented accomplishment" though they are sad about what they have left behind.
"I think all of us who were there are incredibly proud of what we did -- 1,24,000 people got out," he exclaimed. "That movement was affected by our State Department staff, but obviously, especially by the thousands of military personnel who provided the security and directly supported that evacuation effort," reported The Khaama Press.
Now that world watches Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine, Wilson says he is worried about Afghanistan, saying "there are other needs in the world, and they have to be addressed.
Former US Diplomats also said, "I think it's important for the United States both to work with and assist those who got out. Work with and assist those who, particularly those who worked for us and with us -- as well as American citizens, of course -- to help them get out," he elaborated on the need to not forget about Afghanistan's situation.
On Wednesday, the World Bank in a statement said that Afghanistan's per capita income has fallen by around 1/3 during the fourth quarter of 2021, wiping the country's economic progress achieved since 2007. According to the statement, aid-depended services sectors have been affected by the ongoing political instability, leading to a collapse in urban employment and incomes. "The political crisis has put the gains of around two decades in Afghanistan at risk and will lead the country to grave poverty," the World Bank said.
The country, at present, is battered by the deepening economic, humanitarian and security crisis following the fall of Afghanistan to Taliban.
Taliban entered Kabul on August 15, causing the US-backed government to step down. According to UN figures, 23 million people in Afghanistan are currently starving and 95 per cent of Afghans do not have enough food to eat three times in 24 hours.
( With inputs from ANI )
Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor