I don’t think the average Brit or Z list Celeb on social media posting about the issue fully understand they aren’t Al-Qaeda. Of course, Al-Qaeda will be better placed under the Taliban - probably funded directly or indirectly.
That’s not to defend the taliban as per your caveat, but they are different. I think there is a portrayal in the British and western media of certain groups that fits a narrative and you could be led to believe the Taliban are about to kill every woman who breathes at the moment. It doesn’t help they stand in the parliamentary houses with automatic rifles of course, not something we are used to seeing here.
I would like to see more balanced reporting, are there people in Kabul who want the Taliban to seize control quicker so that the country can settle down again? Democracy is a new phenomenon over there, has it been enough time for people to truly value what it tries to do? Perhaps not in some cases.
I’m of the view like many the west can’t stay there forever, and this advance was inevitable. It’s been strategically poor and embarrassing for America, scrambling people out at the last minute. Inevitably some will lose their lives and the least Britain could do is protect those few people who were allies, but as someone put it the other day, those new Tory voters in Stoke and Rochdale would rather they lose their heads than move in next door.
