Kabul, Afghanistan – A fog of uncertainty hangs over Afghanistan.

No matter where you go, from a sports lounge in the capital Kabul to a venue in Logar province, everyone will ask the same question: “What will happen?”

People try to answer this question, but the sad and terrifying truth is that we won’t know it until we get there.

The lack of clear answers bothers people, and they fear any situation that will not lead to true peace.

The other night, a government official said something similar: “People have no reason to despair. This has become a buzzword.”

I sat on his terrace, looking back on my recent trips to Logar, Parwan, Herat and Nangarhar, and said, “No, people have no hope. They are scared.”

I remembered what my cousin’s 9-year-old daughter, a talented artist and BTS super fan, said in Pashto one night: “Let’s just stay here and wait for death.”

She was born after the Taliban were ousted from power during a US-led military invasion in 2001.

She studied at a well-known private school where her mother taught. In all respects, she should be a typical representative of the so-called “harvest of the past 20 years”. However, even she felt an increasingly terrifying fear that politics prevented her and her family from escaping.

Yes, for the new generation of Afghans, the sad thing is that war is nothing, but now, people feel lost at sea. It seems that they, as well as this country, are drifting aimlessly. They don’t know whether they will drift towards further violence and war or some abyss of superficial peace, the abyss of darkness.

Those who are able choose not to risk waiting.

As a reporter friend said to a group of us: “I was here when the Soviet tanks came in. I saw it with my own eyes. Why should I wait to see if Kabul is taken over again? I have to let my family leave now. “

Powerless

In recent weeks, my family and friends in Kabul and the United States called me to inquire about the process of obtaining a special immigrant visa. According to reports, the United States has promised journalists, well-known women, and people who work for the United States.

Again, the only answer I can give them is: “I don’t know.”

Since my short stay in Istanbul, Turkey (2016-2017), I have never felt so powerless to help my people. During this period, Nangarhar refugees who came to the country would call me for help because of Ankara Begin to deport Afghans back to the war zone.

The fact is that this country is not good. People feel trapped between a corrupt government that is basically unable to provide much-needed basic services and a brutal, violent, and oppressive Taliban.

After meeting with anti-Taliban uprising forces in Parwan, Logar and Herat last month, I understood this. These forces are fighting for a republic, not necessarily the current leadership, but more importantly, to oppose Talibanism.

Some people, including powerful legislators and former officials, tried to convict Washington and make it cancel the withdrawal decision before August 31.

However, once again, when talking to ordinary people in five provinces last month, it became clear that there was almost no loss of love between people and the United States. This country has destroyed so many local communities with its failed policies, and it’s bad- Faith support for corrupt leaders, air strikes, drones and night strikes.

People are angry about how the United States left without real conditions for the government or the Taliban.

Calling the Taliban

In recent days, foreign embassies, including the United States, have issued statements condemning the Taliban’s recent series of violent actions. Some officials who are still eager to please foreigners appreciate this.

However, when US officials sat opposite the Taliban in Doha to negotiate a peaceful solution, people did not know where these condemnations and calls for an end to the violence were.

The agreement allowed the organization to agree not to target foreign troops and officials, and their bloody campaign against Afghan security forces, officials and civilians continued unabated.

This combination of uncertainty and anger has caused psychological harm to millions of Afghans.

When I went to Herat before the Eid holiday, I saw a different city. There, security forces and members of the insurrection set up checkpoints on their way to areas where we were able to pass freely two years ago. The once bustling market behind the famous Masjed Jame is almost empty.

This was my first trip there in eight years, and people asked me if I was sure to go to Herat.

“What if the airport is closed while you are there,” a reporter asked me before I booked the ticket.

Two days later, when I was sitting at the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, his words kept ringing in my ears.

‘This is the role of war’

I was there this time, I did not consider whether to take a rickshaw or walk for about 40 minutes to buy a khamak dozi, a hand-embroidered fabric worth hundreds of dollars.

On the contrary, after so many years, I realized how flat and open the city is.

How easy it is for the Taliban to launch rockets on historical sites, government buildings and markets and cause severe damage to the ancient city.

This is what the war does. It traps you in a cage, which becomes more and more closed over time. Even in a country full of rivers, mountains, deserts, lush greenery and historical sites, it will deprive you of your mobility. This requires your family. It keeps you always on alert. It takes away the joy of the holiday.