The fall of Afghanistan: Civilians pay the price for America’s ‘for profit’ invasion

As the Taliban take over power in Afghanistan, experts and former residents say the US’s first priority was never to support a local struggle against oppression and poverty, but to line its own pockets

The takeover, which happened over a period of ten days with little or no resistance from the US-trained Afghan National Army, has resulted in the country being thrust back under the control of an Islamist militant group that ruled it nearly 20 years ago. Picture: Shutterstock

In a March 2007 video that was made to show off a new canteen at Bagram airbase, formerly the largest US military base in Afghanistan, a narrator described how the dining facility saved troops up to an hour of travel time, due to its location close to the flight line side of the base.

As baby-faced US Air Force pilots heaped portions of meat into Styrofoam containers and described their increased productivity, the voiceover detailed ...