'It's a betrayal': Afghan refugee who was tortured by the Taliban
A former refugee who was tortured aged 12 by the Taliban has warned the West will pay a heavy price for its “Afghan betrayal”.
Roh Yakobi, who now lives in the Black Country, said the crisis engulfing Afghanistan since the withdrawal of Western troops could have devastating long-term implications on world peace.
The 33-year-old said the decision to pull out marked the end of the West’s commitment “to defend and fight for its values and interests”.
Mr Yakobi said he owes everything to the British people for offering him freedom.
He became a UK citizen after fleeing his homeland as a boy and embarking on a six-year journey that eventually landed him in Wolverhampton.
Now he fears for people in his homeland as the Taliban take control, saying: “It’s been a betrayal and abandonment of the people.”
Midland MPs were today heading to the Commons for an emergency debate with Staffordshire MP Michael Fabricant describing the situation as a “moral disaster”.
As a 12-year-old, Mr Yakob was kidnapped and tortured by the Taliban before being freed to embark on a remarkable six-year journey that would eventually take him to the Black Country, where he now lives as a British citizen.
The experience will be with him for the rest of his life, and the events of the past week – which have seen the Taliban take control of Afghanistan after the US withdrew its troops – have reopened wounds.
He says he has family members over there who he considers to be very much “at risk”.
In recent days he has seen a chilling video from the village that he is from in Jaghori district, where a Taliban commander can be seen gathering residents together and chastising them.
“You can see that things are already changing and that people are being told off for not welcoming the Taliban into the village or raising the Taliban’s white flag,” Mr Yakobi told the Star from his home in Wolverhampton.
“These are patterns of behaviour that are going to make life more and more difficult for people. Every Afghan who wants to have a dignified life is at risk.”
The father-of-two has laid the blame for the chaos engulfing his homeland squarely at the feet of US President Joe Biden.
He says America’s decision to withdraw its forces – which was followed within days by the Taliban seizing control of the country – would cause “incredible suffering” for the Afghan people and also have serious implications for world peace.
Accusing Mr Biden of betraying the Afghan people, Mr Yakobi said: “The Americans are largely responsible and have left the field open to be filled by the West’s adversaries, China, Russia and Iran.
“It sends a signal that America and the West are no longer prepared to fight for their values, and are no longer willing to stand by their allies.
“As a country Afghanistan has a complex history. It has never been at peace with itself but this last 20 years has given it the opportunity to build state institutions that didn’t previously exist.
“Now the West’s willingness to inflict defeat on itself has changed everything. Afghanistan is not entering a new peaceful era, this is a new phase of conflict. As for the West, it is losing credibility in its claim over defending human rights around the world.
“It is hard to say that when you are abandoning a country.”
Mr Yakobi said any ideas that Western governments have of entering into negotiations with the Taliban were problematic.
“The Taliban has tested the West before,” he said. “They didn’t manage to win at fighting, but in negotiations they succeed in conning the West into accepting their promises.
“At every step they have not kept their promises, such as promising not to enter Kabul without a settlement negotiation with the Afghan leaders.
They promised they would not take over government by force, which they did. They are not capable of changing their values and we have to remember they are still a terrorist organisation. Any international pressure will give them more justification to stick to their beliefs.”
Mr Yakobi has urged the UK to “stick to its promise of not recognising the government taken by force”, and said that other countries must be implored to do the same.
He said: “Our immediate concern should be to evacuate those who are under immediate risk. Whatever happens, millions of people will be left stuck behind the dark walls the Taliban are building around them. They will suffer enormously but we must not let them lose hope.”
