Please respond to this thread with Afghan orgs on the ground who will safely get funds to Afghans directly without any Taliban interference. I will pin the tweet. Tashakur 📌 crowdfunder.co.uk/helpafghanistan

My father wrote this paper on May 16, 2001. He got it to congress, but they did nothing. Just after 9/11 the the US gov came knocking at his door. They said, “how did you know all of this ?” My dad pulled boxes of files out of the garage. He said “how DIDNT you”. The letter :

To the younger Afghans who follow me. What you see now or little to no coverage of afghans rising up against the Taliban and Afghan requests from the international world, this was even worse in the 80s and 90s. When Afghanistan won the Cold War and then was left completely destitute with no assistance, no retrieval of weapons given, completely broken nation. THIS is why a civil war broke out. This is why tribal leaders started in fighting. Western media + western govts largely to blame.

I wanna share a story that changed my life. A story I learned on the ground in Uganda when I was with a group called @thevoiceproject and we were interviewing former Lords Resistance Army fighters who returned home after hearing messages and songs of forgiveness on the radio. There was a man named Lachem (my spelling could be wrong) in northern Uganda who used the radio to call back children who were abducted by the LRA (Joseph Konys fighters). He used the radio to share messages and songs of forgiveness in Acholi the language of the abductees.

Thread 🧵 guys I have a few ideas that I think could work. I’m gonna share them and if they resonate take them. Or leave them, just sharing what I’ve said many times over the years : if I was a young leader in Afghanistan I would locate youth leaders in surrounding nations. Young leaders who care about Afghanistan and regional peace, and who strongly stand against terrorism. I would connect with them & create a movement of influencing pop culture to counter these groups, to pressure all respective governments to counter these groups, & create unity

The idea of a “political settlement” is a isn’t reality. The Taliban have zero interest in Afghan rights and lives. Their actions are loud and clear. It is time to demand all cessation of funding and sanctuary to these terrorists throughout the region. That’s the “settlement”. Put the diplomatic energy and effort into a regional joint effort to stop the Taliban and all terrorist groups. That’s where the diplomacy is needed. The Taliban do not deserve any seat at any table as long as they are murdering civilians, enslaving young women, flogging kids etc

Thread : in the 80s our parents (grandparents for some of you) begged international media to care about Afghanistan. Hardly anyone covered it. Afghans won the Cold War. Im a little older than some of you following me. I was a little kid watching international press silent. They protested, they lobbied, they begged. Afghans won the Cold War and there was no support after the soviets were kicked out. The tribal leaders made a mess, yes, but there was no support. It was dire. And the press are part of why. There was hardly any coverage of any of it.