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ConflictsAfghanistan

Afghanistan After the Withdrawal of NATO Forces

August 14, 2024

When international troops withdrew in 2021, the Taliban recaptured Afghanistan. The ‘forever war’ was over.

https://p.dw.com/p/4i1mg
Three men in traditional Afghan dress stand on the roof of a house in Musa Qala and look out over the countryside in Helmand province.
Image: DR Sales

But this documentary shows how western military forces were misled or acted on insufficient intelligence -- with fatal consequences for the Afghan civilians they were sent to protect.

The documentary "Winning Hearts and Minds” shows how western forces were deliberately misled and in many cases acted on the basis of inadequate information. The results were a disaster for the Afghan population. 

A photo from 2006 showing an Afghan policeman standing next to a Danish soldier.
2006: Danish and British soldiers helped local policemen defend themselves against the Taliban in Musa Qala. Image: DR Sales

In 2006, when Danish and British troops were deployed to Musa Qala in Helmand Province, southern Afghanistan, the mission was clear. They were to defend their allies, the local police forces, against Taliban insurgents. But this plan was based on a misconception. While the local police in Musa Qala were seen as the allies of the West in the fight for democracy and human rights, in reality they supported a brutal and murderous drug cartel. 

Former police commander from Musa Qala Issa Khan (in uniform) stands between the two Danish journalists.
Filmmakers Martin Tamm Andersen and Nagieb Khaja meet Issa Khan, one of the two brutal police commanders from 2006, under dangerous conditions in Afghanistan.Image: DR Sales

Filmmakers Martin Tamm Andersen and Nagieb Khaja uncover this scandal, as well as the local police’s alliance with the brutal brothers Koka and Issa Khan. The filmmakers also examine a corrupt ex-governor’s hold over the Musa Qala police and how this man exploited western involvement to help his drug trade.

A group of Taliban who are now in charge in Musa Qala.
After the withdrawal of Western troops, Musa Qala passed into the hands of the Taliban.Image: DR Sales

Musa Qala eventually fell to the Taliban, as the population faced a choice between a ruthless drug cartel and an extremist regime. 

The film reveals the tragic betrayal of the international mission that ultimately left an entire country in chaos. 

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SAT 31.08.2024 – 11:03 UTC
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