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Easy News: Afghanistan under Taliban control

This Easy News story is about what is happening in Afghanistan and the Taliban taking control of the country. It was translated by Ben.

Easy News: Afghanistan under Taliban control

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    1. Afghanistan is a country in the Middle East, in the continent of Asia.

    2. It has been involved in various wars for more than 40 years since the Soviet Union (USSR) invaded it in 1979.

    3. The United States of America (USA) and United Kingdom (UK) military invaded Afghanistan in 2001, in response to the September 11th 2001 terrorist attacks in the USA.

    4. The aim of the USA and UK’s invasion was to capture Osama Bin Laden, the leader of a terrorist group called Al Qaeda who they believed was hiding there.

    5. After 20 years of being in Afghanistan, the USA and UK are now withdrawing their troops from the troubled country.

    6. This has left the Afghan authorities weakened and has allowed the Taliban to take over the country .

    7. The Taliban were in control of Afghanistan from 1996 until 2001, when US-led forces removed them from power and created a democratically elected government. This is where the people could vote for their government .

    8. When the Taliban were in control, women had fewer rights than men. They were not allowed to be educated over the age of 10 and were forced to wear whole body coverings, called burkas.

    9. It is widely believed that the Taliban started in the 1990s in nearby country Pakistan and that they were funded by Saudi Arabia, following the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan.

    10. This is similar to the USA and UK also now withdrawing from Afghanistan. This has left the Taliban regime unopposed which means nobody can challenge them.

    11. The Taliban’s aim is to rule using Sharia law once they are in power. This is a legal system based on the Quran, Islam's holy book. It can be interpreted in different ways. The Taliban's interpretation is known to be especially strict.

    12. The withdrawal process began when former US president Donald Trump agreed a deal with the Taliban in 2020. Current president Joe Biden stuck to the deal and there is currently a deadline of August 31st 2021 for the withdrawal.

    13. The speed of the Taliban’s return to power has shocked a lot of people all over the world, including many world leaders.

    14. There have been scenes of chaos at airports in Afghanistan as countries try to evacuate their citizens and many scared Afghan people try to leave the country.

    15. Some countries, such as France, Germany and the UK want the USA to extend the deadline, something the Taliban will not accept, and have warned that they will not be able to help everyone that wants to leave to do so.

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