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Hannah Snyder
Prof. Maddex
SPC 1608H
17
Why is Afghanistan in the News?

Introduction

I. Attention Getter: An unnamed refugee from Afghanistan arrived in the US at the

end of this past August. She was soon told that her entire family was just killed by

terrorists back home.

II. Thesis/Introduce the Subject: This heart wrenching story that she told Fox 5 DC on

August 27th is why Afghanistan is so frequently in the news right now. Women and

children are disproportionately suffering because of the recent Taliban takeover of

Afghanistan.

III. Relevance to audience: Why should you care? This situation will impact us all

because it’s a humanitarian crisis and it involves an internationally recognized

terrorist group, but the Afghan’s also need our help and they need our attention fast.

IV. Preview statement: In this speech I’m going to first discuss who the Taliban is, then

discuss what the Taliban has most recently done, and lastly discuss the implications

for women and children as a result.

Transition Statement: First, who the Taliban is.

Body- Topical

I. Who the Taliban Is

A. The Taliban is an Islamic fundamentalist group formed in the early 1990’s.

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1. The Taliban originally formed with a single goal to resist the soviet occupation of

Afghanistan. They gained the support of the Afghan people at the time by promising

to impose stability through Islamic law.

2. Council on Foreign Relations September 15th, 2021 explains that the group has a

structure very similar to that of a government. It is led by a leadership council and

cabinet who makes all decisions for their political and military affairs. There is also a

commission meant to focus on the economy, health, education, and outreach.

B. The Taliban is an internationally recognized terrorist group

1. Governments around the world have continuously worked to weaken the Taliban and

strengthen the Afghan government. They have done this through using military force

like airstrikes and invasions, sanctions to hurt the Taliban’s financial abilities, aid to

help improve the living conditions and strength of the Afghan people, and finally

investigations to bring Taliban members to justice for crimes against humanity.

Transition Statement: Next, what the Taliban has most recently done.

II. What the Taliban has most recently done

A. The Taliban took over by using force to overthrow the government.

1. Thousands of members of the Taliban, who are internationally recognized as a

terrorist organization, stormed across the country, and captured all major cities in

just a few days. They then took over the capital forcing the previous

administration to flee. From there the Taliban used force to hold onto power and

intimidate their citizens into accepting their rule.

B. The Taliban has returned to strict laws and punishments.

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1. AP News Sep 23, 2021 The founder of the Taliban and chief enforcer of its

interpretation of Islamic law said that they will once again carry out executions

and amputations of hands. Stating, “Everyone criticized us for the punishments in

the stadium, but we have never said anything about their laws and their

punishments.”

2. The Taliban remains deeply conservative with a hardline worldview. Despite this,

they are embracing technological advances such as social media and television.

Transition Statement: Lastly, the implications for women and children as a result.

III. Implications for Women and Children

A. Women and children are displaced and going hungry.

1. Aljazeera August 30th, 2021 cites that 570,000 people are now internally displaced

within Afghanistan, 80% of which are women and children. It is expected that ½

million women and children will flee within the next 4 months.

2. In the meantime, 1/3 of the total population is facing food insecurity, 2 million of

which are children who are already malnourished.

B. The Taliban denies women and girls the right to education and to walk the streets.

1. NPR August 17th, 2021 explains that the Taliban’s interpretation of Islamic law is

such that they believe women and girls should not be educated because they are

the “homemakers,” and men are viewed as the “desirable source of intelligence.”

2. Women and girls are also not allowed to walk the streets without a male, and if

they do they must be entirely covered from head to toe with fabric.
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Conclusion

I. Transition into conclusion: Concluding, Afghanistan is in the news for multiple

reasons.

II. Review of main points: I first discussed who the Taliban is, secondly what the

Taliban has most recently done, and thirdly the implications for women and children

as a result.

III. Return to attention getter: Think about the story of the unnamed refugee with

which I started this speech. Her story and stories like hers are why we need to pay

attention to what’s going on in Afghanistan.

IV. End with memorable statement: It is my hope that the people of Afghanistan can

have peace and security once and for all, run by a government that values human

rights and democratic values.

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Works Cited

Associated Press. "Two Decades of War and Daily Life in Afghanistan." AP News, 20 Aug.

2021, apnews.com/article/religion-afghanistan-03b480d0bd66d5bdaa41346ca77927a0.

Accessed 3 Oct. 2021.

Gannon, Kathy. "Taliban official: Strict punishment, executions will return." AP News, 23 Sept.

2021, apnews.com/article/religion-afghanistan-kabul-taliban-

22f5107f1dbd19c8605b5b5435a9de54. Accessed 3 Oct. 2021.

Haddad, Mohammed. "Infographic: Afghanistan's humanitarian crisis." Aljazeera, 30 Aug. 2021,

www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/8/30/infographic-afghanistans-humanitarian-crisis-

interactive. Accessed 3 Oct. 2021.

Krauss, Joseph. "Taliban take over Afghanistan: What we know and what's next." AP News, 17

Aug. 2021, apnews.com/article/taliban-takeover-afghanistan-what-to-know-

1a74c9cd866866f196c478aba21b60b6. Accessed 3 Oct. 2021.

Maizland, Lindsay. "The Taliban in Afghanistan." Council on Foreign Relations, 15 Sept. 2021,

www.cfr.org/backgrounder/taliban-afghanistan. Accessed 7 Oct. 2021.

. National Public Radio, www.npr.org/2021/08/17/1028542848/big-questions-loom-about-how-

the-taliban-will-treat-women-and-girls. Accessed 7 Oct. 2021.

News Desk. "A Historical Timeline of Afghanistan." PBS News Hour, PBS, 30 Aug. 2021,

www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/asia-jan-june11-timeline-afghanistan. Accessed 3 Oct.

2021.

Rubino, Natalie, editor. "Afghan refugees share stories of survival as they arrive at Dulles

Airport." Fox 5 Washington DC, 27 Aug. 2021, www.fox5dc.com/news/afghan-refugees-

share-stories-of-survival-as-they-arrive-at-dulles-airport. Accessed 3 Oct. 2021.

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"Will the World Formally Recognize the Taliban?" New York Times. New York Times,

www.nytimes.com/2021/09/01/world/asia/taliban-un-afghanistan-us.html. Accessed 3

Oct. 2021.

17 Sept. 2021. The World, www.pri.org/stories/2021-09-17/taliban-want-international-

recognition-countries-are-debating. Accessed 3 Oct. 2021.