Afghanistan:
Ally Status Cloaks Brutality against Women

Jul 16, 2012

In a recent announcement by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the U.S. government commits to what is called a “major non-NATO ally status” for Afghanistan. According to Clinton, this is a commitment to stick by Afghanistan and its people’s future. She speaks of never “abandoning” Afghanistan.

This announcement, following on the heels of more than 11 years of war by U.S. and other NATO aligned powers, is cynical enough. But to highlight the real status of affairs in Afghanistan, a video revealed the recent execution of a woman on grounds of adultery within an area controlled by U.S. forces not far from Kabul, the capital.

This execution was no exception to the rule, unfortunately. According to the British Human Rights Organization Oxfam, 87% of Afghan women interviewed say they had suffered physical, sexual or psychological abuse.

The declaration of the U.S. government is nothing more than a calculated publicity stunt: to maintain the status quo of war by easing even further the flow of U.S. military weapons and equipment into Afghanistan and in the meantime to appear to be an ally of the Afghan people. And the talk about eliminating the brutalities committed against women is a blatant and cynical lie.