As awful as this is for other reasons, all I can imagine now is that this is going to give further ammo to the right-wingers who want to prove to us that all Arabs are dirty, rotten oppressors and need to be bombed. Not that one can really expect a difference; this is just like the post-colonial governments that took over in Africa when the European nations withdrew. This is the same reason some political theorists have suggested that following a large-scale regime change, another revolution is necessary to purge the corruption of the new government that comes to power, usually a group privileged by whomever vacated power (or in the case of foreign interference, whomever "freed" the citizens from the shackles of the former government).

"Huh, funny remember back when we invaded Afghanistan, our motivation was to spread democracy and defend women's rights? Foiled again!" - Samhita

Unfortunately, spreading democracy and defending women's rights seem to be contradictory goals in this particular case.

"...all Arabs are dirty, rotten oppressors and need to be bombed"

Brian McKay,

Afghans aren't Arab. That is quite offensive actually. Perhaps you meant all Muslims?

Anybody who ever believed that the invasion of Afghanistan had anything to do with the liberation of women is an idiot.

Sojourner, I think that Brian made a mistake, and I fail to see why it's so offensive.

Yes, Robyn, thanks - it was simply a mistake in a comment dashed off quickly without much thought. I'm sorry if I unintentionally offended anyone.

I don’t care if Laura Bush’s husband was an alcoholic for thirty five years. I don’t care if Laura Bush’s daughter got caught drinking under-age in a bar. I have sympathy with Laura Bush for a fatal car accident she was involved in while in her teens. These are your typical tabloid trash articles, and I don’t care about them.

But I do care when Laura Bush says she is pro-choice during the campaign to be sympathetic with women voters, and then her husband rages a war against choice. I do care that Laura Bush voices concern on her radio address about the conditions of women in Afghanistan in order to initially support the war and then hides in her own burqa cocoon when those very women face disaster. Now that our nation has achieved their real objectives we see the true Laura colors. We know now the subjection of women was just a ploy, a Karl Rove publicity stunt.

Thank you for posting this Samhita. It may not be a comfortable situation for Laura Bush to speak independently on issues seeing that she is only a first lady and the Middle East crisis becomes more devisive by the minute. However, in the history of women, has a strong voice ever been easy? I wish she would at least embrace the organization UNFPA, because obviously her stance on reading hasn’t done her or any other woman a darn bit of good.

Excuse me, but this article is talking about the Taliban, not the traditional tribes of Afghanistan. And the Taliban included Arabs in their organization. Thousands of them.

So before we all start getting offended we should check our facts, and our knee-jerk reactions.

Maybe it is because we are so busy trying to strenthen our own vice squads in this country and abroad. If we really cared so much about women's freedom from oppresive religous policing we should start in our own country where so-called radical feminists are hurting their own sisters to satisfy their own desire for universal sexual oppression and forced adherence to their personal standards.

Is anybody surprise that Afghanistan is not prepared for a Democratic form of government with respect for human rights?

Excuse me, but this article is talking about the Taliban, not the traditional tribes of Afghanistan.

No, the Taliban are overwhelmingly Afghanis and Pushtan Pakistanis. Neither of these groups are remotely Arab (you know, from Arabia, or at least speak Arabic).