America's withdrawal is, in my view, an inevitable conclusion and the best out of many bad options. However, let's not pretend that the Taliban represent many o

America's withdrawal is, in my view, an inevitable conclusion and the best out of many bad options. However, let's not pretend that the Taliban represent many or most Afghans. Their return to power is a tragedy. The atrocities they have committed before and are sure to commit again do not deserve applause. >But in 2019, a response to the same survey found that only 13.4 percent of Afghans had sympathy for the Taliban [PDF]. As intra-Afghan peace talks stalled in early 2021, an overwhelming majority surveyed said it was important to protect [PDF] women’s rights, freedom of speech, and the current constitution. Around 44 percent of Afghans surveyed said they believed that Afghanistan could achieve peace in the next two years. https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/taliban-afghanistan https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/taliban-afghanistan