August 15 – The Day the Republic Fell and Humanity Was Enslaved

August 15, 2021, was not merely the fall of Kabul; it was the day the hopes and future of an entire nation shattered.

By Tamim Attaiy – Afghan Journalist in Exile Introduction: The Fall of a Flag, the Collapse of a Nation August 15, 2021, was not merely the fall of Kabul; it was the day the hopes and future of an entire nation shattered.

With the flight of Ashraf Ghani and the collapse of the Republic, Kabul’s streets fell silent, stripped of the sound of freedom, as the Taliban’s white flag was raised over a city once symbolic of the struggle for human rights, democracy, and gender equality.

In a matter of hours, women’s faces were erased from the walls, children’s laughter fell silent, and schools sank into enforced quiet.

Kabul—once the host of global conferences on women and peace—was transformed into a prison encircled by ideology.

Collapse or Deal? This downfall was not only the product of political weakness and corruption in the former system, but also the sign of a hidden regional and global bargain.

Evidence suggests: • The Taliban entered Kabul without a fight.

• Military command ordered troops to withdraw.

• Kabul airport became a stage for the desperate escape of government officials and politicians.

• Ordinary people, helpless and stunned, watched the return of the dark ages.

Women: The First Victims of Taliban Ideology The collapse of the Republic dealt its first and most severe blow to Afghan women.

Within weeks: • Girls’ schools above sixth grade were closed.

• Women were banned from work, sports, arts, and even public parks.

• Women activists were arrested, tortured, raped, or disappeared.

Brain Drain: Migration Under Duress After the fall, an unprecedented wave of migration by intellectuals, academics, journalists, and civil society activists began: • Thousands of Afghans left the country in the first months.

• Universities were left without professors; research centers without specialists.

• Independent media outlets were shut down or brought under Taliban control.

Kabul airport—where desperate Afghans clung to departing planes—became a global symbol of absolute despair.

The Taliban Whitewashing Project: A Betrayal of Truth As the humanitarian crisis deepened, some governments and international figures sought to “normalize” the Taliban: • Staging sham peace conferences with Taliban participation.

• Visits by foreign figures such as Cheryl Benard, who claimed Afghanistan was “safe” for women.

• Promotional videos by foreign tourists.

These efforts, compounded by the deadly silence of international organizations, amounted to legitimizing a repressive regime.

Education System: Engineering an Obedient Generation The Taliban have turned education into a tool for reproducing their extremist ideology: • Removing scientific subjects like physics, chemistry, and social sciences, or rewriting them according to an extreme interpretation of Sharia.

• Closing girls’ schools and dismissing female teachers.

• Cultivating a generation without questions, without women, and fully obedient to the Emirate.

Migrants: Victims Once Again Millions of Afghans faced a new crisis in neighboring countries and Europe after the fall: • Forced deportations and discrimination in Iran, Pakistan, and Turkey.

• Suppression of voices and civil activism in Turkey.

• Years of limbo in European asylum processes.

• Abandonment of thousands of Afghan allies of international forces in the United States.

Conclusion: Keep the Collective Memory Alive August 15 must be remembered not only as the fall of a political system, but as the day human values in Afghanistan collapsed.

Forgetting this day would be a betrayal to future generations.

The Taliban may have raised their flag over the Arg Palace, but in the hearts of thousands of women and men, the Republic, education, and the dream of freedom remain.