This Theme Page covers the current news of the Taliban taking over in Afghanistan after the US and NATO troops initially left the country.
Related Theme: Malala Yousafzai, 7-9
Background
The U.S. War in Afghanistan | Council on Foreign Relationshttps://www.cfr.org/timeline/us-war-afghanistanThe Taliban insurgency remains resilient two decades after U.S.-led forces toppled its regime in what led to the United States’ longest war. – Timeline
Map Explainer: Key Facts About Afghanistan – Visual Capitalisthttps://www.visualcapitalist.com/map-explainer-key-facts-about-afghanistan/This map explainer looks at Afghanistan from a structural point of view, delving into geography and population patterns.
Lesson Plans
BBC Learning English – Course: News Review / Unit 1 / Session 1https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/course/newsreview/unit-1/session-1Session 1 The president of Afghanistan has fled and many people are trying to evacuate the country after the Taliban retook the capital city, Kabul. (yr 7)
Afghanistan – ESL Lesson Plan – Breaking News English Lessonhttps://breakingnewsenglish.com/2108/210808-afghanistan-0.htmlEnglish News Lessons: Free 27-Page lesson plan / 2-page mini-lesson – Afghanistan – Handouts, online activities, speed reading, dictation, mp3… current events. (yr7, harder levels available)
Afghan Refugees – ESL Lesson Plan – Breaking News English Lessonhttps://breakingnewsenglish.com/2108/210820-afghan-refugees.htmlEnglish News Lessons: Free 27-Page lesson plan / 2-page mini-lesson – Afghan Refugees – Handouts, online activities, speed reading, dictation, mp3… current events. – Easier levels available (7-9)
Daily News Lesson: After 20 years, Taliban returns to power in Afghanistan | PBS NewsHour Extrahttps://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/daily-videos/daily-news-lesson-after-20-years-taliban-returns-to-power-in-afghanistan/Hear from one former Afghan official on what the future of Afghanistan might look like now that the Taliban is back in power (yr 8-9)
Despite Taliban promises, Afghan women fear losing their freedoms and lives | PBS NewsHourhttps://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/despite-talibans-promises-afghan-women-fear-losing-their-freedoms-and-livesWith the help of author Gayle Tzemach Lemmon, Stephanie Sy tells us the story of a woman who persevered under the Taliban, flourished over the last 20 years, and escaped the Taliban’s return.
Listening
The Same Stars – Ch 1 (Audiobook) – YouTube (22:53)https://youtu.be/4HR0hs6n1CADet första kapitlet ur ungdomsromanen “The Same Stars”. Skriven och uppläst av Gail Davison Blad.För mer information:http://thesamestars.se
Reading
Who is ISIS-K, the group claiming credit for the Kabul airport attack in Afghanistan? – Voxhttps://www.vox.com/2021/8/27/22643461/isis-k-kabul-airport-afghanistan-talibanWhat to know about the Afghanistan offshoot of the group in Iraq and Syria that waged a deadly attack at the Kabul airport.
Former interpreter living in Colorado speaks about the need to help stranded Afghanshttps://www.rmpbs.org/blogs/rocky-mountain-pbs/siv-visas-for-afghans-colorado-response/Aurangzaib Sharifi knows firsthand how serious the crisis in Afghanistan is. Before moving to Colorado, he worked as an interpreter with the U.S. military. – Videos included (yr 8-9)
An Afghan woman in Kabul: ‘Now I have to burn everything I achievedhttps://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/aug/15/an-afghan-woman-in-kabul-now-i-have-to-burn-everything-i-achievedA university student tells of seeing all around her the ‘fearful faces of women and ugly faces of men who hate women’ (B1)
‘Byword for failure’: Afghanistan and lessons for US foreign policyhttps://www.trtworld.com/opinion/byword-for-failure-afghanistan-and-lessons-for-us-foreign-policy-49402As American supremacy is increasingly challenged by its rivals on multiple fronts, it is imperative for the US to recommit itself to maintaining and safeguarding existing alliances. (B1)
Taliban ‘has not changed,’ say women facing subjugation in areas of Afghanistan under its extremist rulehttps://theconversation.com/taliban-has-not-changed-say-women-facing-subjugation-in-areas-of-afghanistan-under-its-extremist-rule-164760Burqas and male chaperones for women were features of the Taliban’s extremist rule of Afghanistan in the 1990s. Those policies are now back in some districts controlled by these Islamic militants. (B1)
Timeline of U.S. Withdrawal from Afghanistan – FactCheck.orghttps://www.factcheck.org/2021/08/timeline-of-u-s-withdrawal-from-afghanistan/We lay out many of the key diplomatic decisions, military actions, presidential pronouncements, and expert assessments of the withdrawal agreement that ended the U.S. military’s 20-year war in Afghanistan. (B1)
President Biden under fire: Who is to blame for Afghanistan’s collapsehttps://eu.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2021/08/28/biden-under-fire-who-blame-afghanistans-collapse-amid-us-withdrawal-military-deaths/5616208001/‘Egregiously mishandled’ or inevitably ‘messy’? What went wrong in US withdrawal from Afghanistan – Mercury Reader Eliminate ads with
Viewing
Afghanistan War: How did 9/11 lead to a 20-year war? – YouTube (11:25)https://youtu.be/4hbSf1c_6_QIn 2001 an international coalition led by the USA invaded Afghanistan to destroy terrorist organisation Al-Qaeda when the Taliban refused to hand over Osama bin Laden. (yr 8-9)
Who are the Taliban and how did they come to power in Afghanistan? | Just the FAQs – YouTube (3:12)https://youtu.be/ZMPfZ7fzx64Taliban means “students” in Pashto, and at one point, leaders of the group were American allies. Here’s how the Taliban conquered Afghanistan. (yr 8-9, slower with subtitles for yr 7)
What Tomorrow Brings – Trailer – POV 2016 | PBS – YouTube (2:05)https://youtu.be/U4YAsbohCQUWhat Tomorrow Brings goes inside the very first girls’ school in a small Afghan village. Never before have fathers here allowed their daughters to be educated (yr 8-9)
Afghan teacher vows women and girls will ‘continue to learn’https://www.ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/news/2021/08/20/pashtana-durrani-afghanistan-women-girls-education-taliban#Pashtana Durrani, 23, has helped educate hundreds of women – Click “later” to watch the video, max 5 times (yr 8-9)
Dare to Educate Afghan Girls | Shabana Basij-Rasikh | TED Talks – YouTube (9:36)https://youtu.be/Ka70-Hb1wFEImagine a country where girls must sneak out to go to school, with deadly consequences if they get caught learning. (B1) Lesson plan
CBS News på Twitter: “What will happen to the Afghanistan fighters trained by the U.S. military and the supplies funded by the U.S.? CBS News International Correspondent (2:34)https://twitter.com/CBSNews/status/1427706990659350529“Now that the Taliban has taken over Afghanistan, what will happen to the Afghanistan fighters trained by the U.S. military? And what about the supplies funded by the U.S.? CBS News International Correspondent @charliecbs explains. (B1)
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