Inside Afghanistan: after years of repression under the Taliban, Afghans are wondering if they will ever know peace and prosperity.

Thousands of people mill about the dusty stadium in Mazar-e Sharif, a major city in northern Afghanistan. They have gathered from around the country to celebrate Naw Roz, the new year according to the traditional Islamic calendar used by Afghans.

Fourteen-year-old Rafik has come to watch the camel fights and attend the festival. He says that things have changed since the fall of the Taliban regime in December 2001.

"When the Taliban were in power, they would force us to come to this stadium to watch executions," Rafik tells JS. "When I was 6 years old, I remember coming here and seeing them put a woman inside a hole in the ground. Just her shoulders and head were above the ground. Then they threw rocks at her until she died."

Rafik is recalling the ancient practice of stoning. The Taliban used it against people they believed had committed immoral acts.

"Now we come here to go on rides and play games," says Rafik. "Even though things are not perfect, it is much better than when the Taliban were here."

Rafik's feelings are shared by many people in this landlocked country in southwestern Asia. They say that they are glad the Taliban, an Islamic fundamentalist government, is out of power.

Military forces led by the United States overthrew the Taliban in late 2001. The U.S. invaded Afghanistan because its government refused to turn over Osama bin Laden, the Al Qaeda leader who masterminded the September 11 terrorist attacks on the U.S. Those attacks killed nearly 3,000 people.

Continued Violence

Today, almost six years later, life has improved for many Afghans. But peace and stability remain a distant dream. Bin Laden still has not been found, and members of the Taliban are staging a violent insurgency (rebellion) against the democratically elected government.

An International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), which includes 36,000 troops, is supporting the government of President Hamid Karzai. Thirty-seven nations are contributing to that security force, which is led by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). But the U.S. and Britain have the largest contingent of soldiers. Approximately 8,000 U.S. soldiers are stationed here.

Despite NATO's efforts, the Taliban has regrouped and is gaining momentum. Last year was the bloodiest since the U.S.-led invasion. Many people expect this year to be even worse. Already, more than 1,000 people have been killed--including many U.S. soldiers--in Taliban-related incidents.

Afghans are struggling with more than just violence. They consider the current government corrupt and ineffective. Unemployment is high, and social services are almost nonexistent. Despite international promises to help rebuild Afghanistan, it is still the fifth-poorest country in the world.

The Afghan Ministry of Power and Water is barely able to provide two hours of electricity a day to residents of Kabul, the nation's capital. Ninety percent of the rest of the country has no access to electricity at all.

Although 5 million kids have returned to school since the fall of the Taliban, more than 50 percent of children still do not attend school. About 70 percent of Afghan adults are illiterate.

"No Chance Here"

In Kabul, unemployment and rapidly rising prices are causing many young people to despair about the future. "If you have a job, life is OK here," says Hamid, 15, who sells toys from his pushcart. "But for most of us there are no jobs. The poor stay poor, and the government doesn't help us. There is no chance here, even if you study and go to college."

Hopelessness--and the need for income--are prompting growing numbers of young men to join the insurgency. In rural areas, many Afghan farmers are again growing poppies, which are used to produce opium and heroin--dangerous, illegal drugs. The farmers say that they have no choice if they want to earn a living.

Growing poppies was banned under the Taliban in 2000, and most farmers obeyed the law. But that has changed. "I know it is illegal to grow poppies, but what choice do I have?" says Rahmat Shah, a farmer and the father of nine children. He lives in Nangahar Province, a major poppy-growing region. "I send my sons to work in the cities, but they cannot always find jobs," he continues. "I couldn't feed my family without the money I make from poppies."

The rise in the illegal drug trade has contributed to the insecurity and violence in the region. Says one Western official, "The cultivation of poppy adds to corruption and impacts governance and security. The money flows to the [Taliban] insurgency. It is a vicious cycle."

The U.S. will spend more than $100 million this year alone to help the Afghan government stop poppy cultivation. But to date, these efforts have been disappointing. According to the United Nations, this year's opium crop is expected to be Afghanistan's largest ever.

Caught in the Crossfire 

Increasingly, Afghan civilians are almost as likely to be killed by ISAF and U.S. forces as by the Taliban. This is fueling the anger of many Afghans.

In March, for instance, U.S. Marines traveling in a convoy in Nangahar Province were ambushed. The troops said that they fired back in self-defense. But some witnesses said that the troops fired recklessly at vehicles and pedestrians in crowded markets. According to a report by Afghanistan's Independent Human Rights Commission, the Marines broke international humanitarian law when they killed at least 12 civilians and injured 35, including women and children.

"The Americans behave very badly," says Hamataullah, 14. He is the son of a poppy farmer in Nangahat. "They kill innocent people, even children," he adds.

Despite the civilian deaths, most Afghans--even the poppy farmers--want the ISAF and U.S. forces to remain in Afghanistan. These troops, they say, are doing their best to rebuild the country against great odds. Even Hamataullah thinks that the consequences would be dire if U.S. forces left his country.

"We know that if they leave, the Taliban will take control, and this would be a terrible death for all of Afghanistan," he says. "So for this reason, we ask that America stay. But please show us some respect."

RELATED ARTICLE: "Life is hard here".

--by Nasibullah, 12

My father is a farmer, and sometimes he grows poppies. Drugs are bad. We all know that. I would never take drugs. I don't want anyone to take drugs, but we need to grow Poppies because it is the only way we can earn money.

I help my dad with the farming. During the poppy harvest, we have to work all day and all night for about two weeks. The harvest has to be done quickly, or it is ruined. The schools shut down during the poppy harvest, and everyone works in the fields.

I like school, and I am good in math. I want to be an engineer and move to the city. I don't want to be a farmer. Life is hard here, and everyone is poor.

Think About It

1. Describe life in Afghanistan today. How has it changed since the fall of the Taliban? How has it remained the same?

2. Do you think that U.S. forces should remain in Afghanistan? Why or why not?

Objective

Students should be able to.

* understand how the Afghan people's lives were affected by Taliban control, and now by the presence of U.S. and NATO forces.

Word to Know

* NATO: North Atlantic Treaty Organization, a defensive alliance formed in 1949 by the U.S. and other Western countries to counter the influence of the Soviet bloc. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, NATO has expanded to include former bloc countries.

Background

The Taliban rose out of the turmoil generated by Afghanistan's decade-long civil war (1978-1989) between a Soviet-backed Afghan government and rebels often collectively known as mujahedeen. The original Taliban leaders came from madrasas (Islamic schools) established for Afghan refugees in Pakistan; the name Taliban comes from the Persian word for students. Many of the Afghan people at first welcomed the Taliban after years of chaos. But the repressive nature of their control ended up causing great misery in Afghanistan. The Taliban's support for anti-Western militants such as Al Qaeda triggered the U.S. invasion after 9/11.

Critical Thinking

MAKING CONNECTIONS: Why do some Afghan farmers raise poppies, even though they are illegal? (Afghanistan is one of the world's poorest countries. With no other source of income, some people risk breaking the law.)

FORMING SUPPORTED OPINIONS: Should ISAF and U.S. forces remain in Afghanistan? Why or why not? (Answers will vary.)

STANDARD

SOCIAL STUDIES, GRADES 5-8

* Power, authority, and governance: Afghanistan's people struggle as the country's power structure has shifted from strict Islamic rule to shaky democracy.

RESOURCES

PRINT

Behnke, Alison, Afghanistan in Pictures (Lerner Publishing Group, 2003). Grades 5-9.

Gritzner, Jeffrey A., Afghanistan (Chelsea House, 2002). Grades 7 & up.

WEB SITE

Kids in Afghanistan teacher.scholastic.com /scholasticnews/indepth /afghanistan

* Use a word from this list to correctly complete each sentence.

Al Qaeda, Osama bin Laden, Christianity, corn, decreasing, drugs, electricity, the government, healthy, illiterate, the insurgency, ISAF forces, Islam, Harold Karzai, Muslim, opium, poorest countries, richest countries, security forces, literate, schools, the Taliban, water, wheat

1. Afghanistan's current government is headed by--.

2. Most Afghans practice--.

3. About 79 percent of Afghanistan's females are--.

4. Afghanistan is one of the world's--.

5. Growing numbers of young people are joining--.

6. Afghanistan's chief crop is--.

7. This year, the United Nations expects the largest crop ever of--.

8. Poppies are used to produce illegal--.

9. Poppy-growing was once banned by--.

10. Ninety percent of the country has no access to--.

ANSWERS

1. Hamid Karzai

2. Islam

3. illiterate

4. poorest countries

5. the insurgency

6. wheat

7. opium

8. drugs

9. the Taliban

10. electricity