An investigative report has found that there has been a considerable increase in medical problems among communities that lived close to US military bases during Afghanistan’s 20-year war.
According to New Lines magazine, a marked increase in people suffering from skin, heart and digestive diseases have been observed among those living in close proximity to the former bases. In addition to this, the magazine found that the war had a devastating effect on people’s land.
“American forces have not paid attention to the devastating consequences of using bombs, harmful weapons, spreading chemical substances caused by throwing bombs and burning garbage on people’s health, especially around their military bases in Nangarhar, Kandahar and Parwan provinces,” the report said.
A number of residents of these provinces told New Lines that two years after the withdrawal of troops, they still suffer from skin, cardiovascular and digestive diseases. They have also said that their land yields far less crops than in the past.
According to the report, the US military dropped more than 85,000 bombs in Afghanistan from 2001 to 2021, most of which contained an explosive called “RDX”.
This substance has an adverse effect on the nervous system of humans. The United States Environmental Protection Agency has called this substance carcinogenic.
“The Taliban (IEA) government should start an investigation in this regard and, if possible, ask for help from international institutions in this matter; if this issue is confirmed, they should demand compensation from the United States of America,” said Asadullah Nadim, a military analyst.
In April 2017, US military dropped the most powerful conventional bomb ever used in combat — the GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast, known unofficially as the “mother of all bombs,” or MOAB.
In addition, New Lines estimated that when more than 100,000 NATO and US forces were present in Afghanistan, they produced more than 400,000 kilograms of garbage per day, most of which was burned without any pollution control.
However, the Islamic Emirate says the 20-year military presence of the US and its allies in Afghanistan has caused problems to the people, and the IEA will request compensation at an appropriate time.
“Afghanistan has been the same in every occupation, they have been victims, their people’s rights have been lost and they have been oppressed, they have been killed, injured and suffered various hardships; they were forced to migrate. The American occupation also had these problems, these problems must be compensated, we will definitely raise this at the right time, Inshallah,” said Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the IEA.
