En ung flickas liv i Afghanistan

CNN har här ett gripande inslag om en ung flickas liv i Afghanistan:



Innan USA avsatte talibanregimen var flickor som den 11- åriga Banafsha inte ens tillåtna att gå i skolan. Kvinnor behandlades som boskap och levde i ständig fruktan. I samband med att kriget mot Al Qaida och talibanerna tog sin början 2001, sa President Bush:

For several years, the people of Afghanistan have suffered under one of the most brutal regimes in modern history; a regime allied with terrorists and a regime at war with women... America is beginning to realize that the dreams of the terrorists and the Taliban were a waking nightmare for Afghan women and their children. The Taliban murdered teenagers for laughing in the presence of soldiers. They jailed children as young as 10 years old, and tortured them for supposed crimes of their parents. Afghan women were banned from speaking, or laughing loudly. They were banned from riding bicycles, or attending school. They were denied basic health care, and were killed on suspicion of adultery. One news magazine reports, "It's hard to find a woman in Kabul who does not remember a beating at the hands of the Taliban."

In Afghanistan, America not only fights for our security, but we fight for values we hold dear. We strongly reject the Taliban way. We strongly reject their brutality toward women and children... And that is the reason this great nation, with our friends and allies, will not rest until we bring them all to justice.

America is so proud of our military and our allies, because like the rest of us here, we've seen the pictures of joy when we liberated city after city in Afghanistan. And none of us will ever forget the laughter and the music and the cheering and the clapping at a stadium that was once used for public execution... Yet, a liberated Afghanistan must now be rebuilt so that it will never again practice terror at home or abroad.

Det finns all anledning i världen att stödja operationen i Afghanistan. Talibanerna bör utrotas från jordens yta, för att flickor som Banafsha - som inte skulle haft någon framtid alls under talibanernas styre - ska få möjligheter att leva ett liv i värdighet - något hon förmodligen redan gjort sig mer förtjänt av under sitt korta liv, än de flesta av oss som läser dessa rader.

I sitt valsegertal sa tillträdande President Obama:

And to all those watching tonight from beyond our shores... To those who would tear this world down – we will defeat you. To those who seek peace and security – we support you.

En varning till talibanerna - ett löfte till lilla Banafsha och alla dem som hon representerar. En varning och ett löfte NATO och Europa bör ställa sig sida vid sida med USA för att få se uppfyllt.