Our speaker for Sept 3 was Al Belluche, President of the Vermont Afghan Alliance. A quick 5 years has passed since the US withdrew from Afghanistan and Vermont stands strong with 650 Afghans in our state (100 Afghans per every 100,000 Vermonters).
Sometimes people forget history, but the US invaded Afghanistan in October 2001 to dismantle the terrorist group al-Qaeda and overthrown the Taliban regime that protected its leaders after the Sept 11 attacks on the US. The Taliban gave a safe home and training camps to al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. America then stayed to fight the Taliban and al-Qaeda for the next 20 years before deciding to withdraw, end the war and bring our troops home.
Afghans were vital allies to the US during those 20 years, risking their lives for our mission while working as interpreters, contractors and guides to our troops, diplomats and aid workers. The US made a solemn pledge to provide refuge to Afghans to live their lives without fear and persecution in return for their aid in our operations.
To see and hear Al's presentation to our club, go to: https://youtu.be/Jz2EKy6eEh0
To learn more about or donate to the Vermont Afghan Alliance, visit: https://www.vtafghanalliance.org/