MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 01st September, 2021) History shows that the United States' presence in other countries has never benefited these countries or their regions, and Afghanistan is yet another example thereof, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said on Wednesday, as cited by the state-run IRNA news agency.
"If we look only at the number of women and children who have been killed, injured or maimed in Afghanistan over these years, we will see what a catastrophic tragedy has been going on in that country," Raisi was quoted as saying in his remarks on the 20-year US presence in the Central Asian country.
Raisi criticized the US government for launching propaganda campaigns against other countries.
The US-led coalition entered Afghanistan to overthrow the Taliban (outlawed in Russia) in 2001. The Islamist movement went underground, while a US-backed civilian government was formed to govern the country. Brutal Taliban attacks on the government and civilians continued, resulting in heavy human losses and damage to infrastructure.
With the start of the US withdrawal in May began the Taliban offensive to retake Afghanistan. On August 15, the radical movement entered Kabul and declared victory. The last US plane left the Kabul airport on August 31.
According to World food Program, even before the militant takeover, the country of 38 million had more than half of its population living below the poverty line.
