Former US President, Barack Obama has suspended comments on his Instagram page after it was overwhelmed with followers pleading with him “to do something” to help the Afghan people following the Taliban’s takeover of their country.
Visitors to Barack Obama’s Instagram together with his wife Michelle’s page for hours were greeted with the message: “Comments on this post have been limited”.
That notwithstanding, Obama has not yet issued a public statement about the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan as his most recent social media post is a clip concerning voting boundaries in various constituencies.
Meanwhile, some social media users who got the opportunity to comment before the comment section was suspended wrote: “Afghanistan needs your help. Please, please help Afghanistan”.
Another wrote: “The blood of the #Afghan people is on the hands of those who have remained silent in the face of oppression and have made friends with the Taliban. History will not forget your crime”.
“What did we accomplish in Afghanistan if we turn tail and run now?” asked another. “They need us! That is not the American way! We do not surrender and run! We stay and fight and until the issues are resolved which is true independence!”
Those who could post their comments added hashtags #help_afghanistan and #afghanistanisbleeding, among others, but they were soon cut off.
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Well, a similar suspension of comments was also noted on former first lady Michelle Obama’s Instagram page. Now, several people are speculating that the Obamas did this on intention mainly because they didn’t want to have anything to do with the happenings in Afghanistan.
However, a spokesperson for the Obamas told local media that there was “no intentionality on our side”, nor was any explanation provided as to why the comment section has been suspended.
The spokesperson added the former president had “no further comment” on Afghanistan and noted his remarks in April praising President Biden’s “bold leadership” in his decision to withdraw.
It can be recalled that in an address on Monday, 16th August 2021, President Biden said he stands by his decision to pull out American troops and cast blame on the Afghan government for failing to defend the country.
The Taliban’s siege leaves Afghan women and girls in a vulnerable position with the possibility of losing hard-won rights to education, employment, and everyday freedoms.
The Biden administration has faced sharp criticism over its response to the rapid collapse and the US’s chaotic evacuation effort.
President Biden criticized Afghan President Ashraf Ghani during his address to the nation, stating that Ghani was “wrong” in his assessment of Afghan forces’ ability to fight the Taliban.
“When I hosted the President Ghani and Chairman of Abdullah at the White House in June, and again when I spoke by phone to Ghani in July, we had very frank conversations. We talked about how Afghanistan should prepare to fight their civil wars after the U.S. military departed, to clean up the corruption in government, so the government could function for the Afghan people. We talked extensively about the need for Afghan leaders to unite politically. They failed to do any of that.
“I also urged them to engage in diplomacy, to seek a political settlement with the Taliban. This advice was flatly refused. Mr. Ghani insisted that the Afghan forces would fight. But obviously, he was wrong. Because it was never supposed to trawl back through five days of history”.
Joe Biden
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