Afghans still counting costs of US intervention

Countless hospitals, schools, houses and even wedding halls and wedding parties had been bombarded during the 20-year brutal military presence of the US troops. Infrastructure facilities including roads and bridges have been badly damaged or destroyed.

More importantly, the subsequent US sanctions slapped on Afghanistan following the Western troop pullout, and the freezing of more than $7 billion in Afghan central bank assets, have further exacerbated the situation, leaving Afghanistan on the brink of economic collapse.

Over the past two years, Afghanistan's economy has been characterized by a tumultuous downturn, with a staggering 26 percent contraction in real GDP, according to a report released by the World Bank in April.

To facilitate economic recovery for the Afghan people, experts noted that it is essential to unlock the funds frozen by the US. "Afghanistan's wealth belongs to its people, and they alone should have the right to decide how to use it," said Akram.

In terms of security, the Taliban government, facing challenges from various terrorist groups, has struggled to manage the internal and external threats to Afghanistan's security. The power vacuum created by the US exit has fueled violence and extremism. Lack of cooperation from the US even on counterterrorism efforts has undermined the Taliban's ability to combat the threats effectively, said analysts.

Moreover, risks posed by the 1,228 cluster bombs containing 248,056 bomblets dropped by US forces linger, according to the US Cluster Munition Coalition. Medical charity Doctors Without Borders noted that more than 20 percent of the bombs did not explode on impact and remain active on the ground in Afghanistan, remaining a source of civilian casualties.

Washington failed to achieve anything resembling stability — instead, the reckless withdrawal left Afghanistan in chaos, Farooq from Pakistan said.

"This catastrophic outcome is not unique to Afghanistan; it is part of a broader pattern of US foreign policy failures, where countries are left more unstable and dangerous than before," said Farooq. "The world must recognize and reject the hollow promises of US involvement, which bring nothing but ruin and despair."

Simply put, the US made the decision to send its troops to Afghanistan based on its own interests and demands, rather than the wishes of the Afghans, Wang said. Similarly, acts such as the departure from Afghanistan stemmed from the priorities of US foreign policies and security strategy at different periods of time. "They rarely consider the welfare of Afghans," he added.