When the US and their British friends took flight from Kabul they left the people fighting for democracy and press freedom in Afghanistan stranded and at risk of their lives. Women reporters in particular suddenly found themselves exposed to persecution from a regime that in the name of Muslim ideology will seek to impose intolerable restrictions on their right to work and to live freely.
Those who argue that the military intervention in 2001 was illegitimate may have a point under international law, but the fact that after 20 years a generation of young people who have grown up with the expectation of living in relative freedom without the tyranny of religious controls on their lives have been abandoned is unconscionable.
Women journalists have already been targeted by Taliban leaders. Dress codes have been imposed. Media critics are in hiding. The lack of political will to root out corruption and maintain the steady development of a country emerging from decades of tribal warfare and crushing religious persecution comes at a heavy price.
And not just for those left stranded at Kabul airport. Militant and terrorist forces that have ruthlessly distorted Islam in their political mission hav been relatively quiet in recent years. They will be energised by their success. In Pakistan, Iran and other parts of the Middle East and Central Asia, journalists and critical independent thinkers who have been working to promote human rights and inclusive communities face a nervous future.
In the coming months media support and media development will become even more important in these areas and in Afghanistan itself. As the politicians retreat, the media development community needs to step up to protect the journalists and media workers on the ground.
