Afghan journalist calls for Australia to support people at risk after Taliban return
Shadi Khan Saif reflects on Australia’s two-decade military involvement in Afghanistan and urges continued humanitarian, diplomatic and civil-society support.
Afghan journalist Shadi Khan Saif has urged Australia to maintain support for Afghans at risk, reflecting on the country’s two-decade military involvement after the September 11 attacks and the Taliban’s return to Kabul in 2021.
Writing in The Guardian, Saif described the post-2001 period as a time of gains in urban education, media, political participation and women’s access to public life. He also recalled persistent conflict, corruption and weak government services across much of the country.
More than 35,000 Australians served in Afghanistan or supported the war over two decades, according to the article. The Australian War Memorial records 47 Australian Defence Force personnel killed as a result of their service in Afghanistan and 263 wounded.
Saif said the Afghan government and security forces rapidly collapsed in 2021 as the Taliban returned to Kabul. Australia, which had fought alongside the United States and its allies, participated in the subsequent evacuation from Kabul airport.
He said the collapse shattered hopes of peace, freedom and equality, particularly for women and girls, and described a decline in rights and liberties under Taliban rule.
Saif called on Australia to continue humanitarian assistance, support Afghan women, journalists, educators and civil society, and use diplomatic influence to keep Afghanistan on the international agenda. He also urged meaningful pathways for Afghans facing genuine risk and said Australia should listen more closely to Afghans in shaping its response.
