By BENJAMIN KLIEWER, Student Reporter
With the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks just two days away, the United States military’s withdrawal from Afghanistan is being discussed all over the world. But what do Northwestern students think about it? The Northwestern News talked to three students to find out where they stand on the issue.
Here is what health and sports science major senior Daryn Kleynhans had to say.
Q: How do you feel about the Afghanistan withdrawal?
A: I am not sure, but the timing of it I know was poor. I know there is still, what I have read, some citizens left over there. The way the withdrawal went about is that the military left before normal citizens had actually left as well. I think that’s unethical at least.
Q: Do you feel like President Biden handled the withdrawal well, or did he handle it poorly? Why?
A: I think he handled it poorly. Even though I am not sure how to handle it better, I assume there are other people who would have known how to handle it better.
Q: How do you feel about the war in Afghanistan as a whole?
A: The war as a whole is a tough one because we only really see what the government tells us we’re there for. They could have other disingenuous interests in mind for why we’re over there, but we have to take it at the fact that we’re trying to help the people there that are being persecuted or in trouble with the Taliban or being terrorized by the Taliban… . I’m big on helping people, but there’s right and wrong ways to go about it, and I am not sure if they went the right way originally.
Q: Is this how you wanted to see the war come to an end?
A: No. Obviously, I would have rather seen the people of Afghanistan be literate and become a free state again – become a republic of some sort, which I believe they somewhat were a free state before the Taliban took over again. But it seems like a really hard problem to get through as the Taliban keeps being able to find new leaders to resurge its power.
Q: What would you say to veterans who fought in the war?
A: It may seem like it is all for nothing, but I promise you did more good than you realize.
Here is what freshman social studies education major Nicholas Regier had to say.
Q: How do you feel about the Afghanistan Withdrawal?
A: Fairly neutral. I can understand why President Biden did order the withdrawal, but he should have brought more of the military equipment out because that is billions or trillions worth of military equipment there still free for the terrorist to take.
Q: Do you feel like President Biden handled the withdrawal well, or did he handle it poorly? Why?
A: I think he handled it well, given how sudden that takeover was in that country. He could have done better, but that’s true about everything.
Q: How do you feel about the war in Afghanistan as a whole?
A: I don’t know how to answer that one truthfully. It has been ongoing, but it is interesting that something has finally happened that has carried over very significantly to the U.S. from overseas, especially this heavily.
Q: Is this how you wanted to see the war come to an end?
A: Not really. I wish … we could have pulled everybody out as soon as possible with all of our equipment and just left them to their own devices until further instruction was required from us. … We are a world superpower.
Q: What would you say to veterans who fought in the war?
A: Thank you for your service. I don’t want to even begin to imagine the horrors you have witnessed there, but thank you for doing what you have thought best for us.
Here is what computer science major super senior Edwin Yemoh from Accra, Ghana, had to say.
Q: How do you feel about the Afghanistan withdrawal?
A: To a certain degree, I feel it was the right thing to be done because more often than not we’ve, realized that the US always interferes with people’s business, and it shouldn’t be the case. I understand that they sometimes there are certain governments in this world that need someone to tell them what to do.
Q: Do you feel like President Biden handled the withdrawal well, or did he handle it poorly? Why?
A: I think he did good, because prior to that, the other presidents have been sending troops down there to help them prevent that, and this government, they want to take troops out to protect their own people. He did what best fits his judgement. Everybody has their conscience. You can’t think for another person. Everybody has their thoughts so, with what he did, I believe it’s good.
Q: How do you feel about the war in Afghanistan as a whole?
A: The war has been fought for so long, you know. … If [the Afghan] people wanted change, they would have changed a long time ago. If change has to come, it has to come from within. You have to make that change.
Q: Is this how you wanted to see the war come to an end?
A: I don’t think the war is ever going to come to an end. The U.S. troops will get out of there, but it really doesn’t mean that there is going to be the end of the war. I don’t think it’s going to be the end of the war. Because those guys still have it into their minds they want to. I anybody comes in, they going to fight them.
Q: What would you say to veterans who fought in the war?
A: Those guys laid down their lives to protect other people from other countries and that is astounding, because Afghan people are not fighting the U.S. people on U.S. soil. US people went there to protect them, but then the Afghan people are fighting them. So, the veterans that went down there, and those that have laid down their lives to protect other citizens, it’s pretty profound. You know, this is not my country. This is not my war in my country, but I am going to go to another country and fight a war for them. … Those guys knew why they wanted to serve their country as well.
