Twenty years after the U.S. military operations in Afghanistan, the toxic legacy still lives on in the drying water and contaminated soil across the country.
The U.S. war began in October 2001, and it ended in a chaotic withdrawal from Kabul on August 30, 2021. Though the withdrawal put an end to America's longest war, the environmental cost of nearly two decades of high-intensity combat continues to plague the Afghan people today.
"Bombers and tanks dropped munitions directly onto the land. Chemical agents released during the fighting flowed straight into canals and dams. The water was literally poisoned - undrinkable. Contaminated irrigation then drained the soil of its fertility," said Afghan international-affairs analyst Akram Zada.
Zada argues that the war damaged Afghanistan's environment on two fronts. Direct pollution from munitions was exacerbated by the indirect destruction caused by millions of displaced people who felled entire forests in their desperation for fuel, resulting in irreversible changes to the ecosystem.
"War created internal displacement. People moved from province to province, cutting down trees for firewood. Deforestation raised temperatures, affected the environment, and accelerated soil erosion," he explained.
The most dramatic single attack came in April 2017, when U.S. forces dropped the "Mother of All Bombs" on a tunnel complex in Nangarhar Province's Achin District. The 10,000-kg weapon was the largest conventional bomb ever used in combat. Analysts widely viewed the strike as a show of force, but its environmental impact is a long-term concern.
"In a place called Achin in Nangarhar, where allegedly extremists were hidden, the Americans deployed one of the most powerful and dangerous bombs in existence. This move led to years of contamination in the local environment, and this impact could persist for years to come. That area remains contaminated years later, and the effects could persist for years to come. Reliable sources also indicate that foreign troops used unauthorized weapons - possibly including chemical weapons and white phosphorus - which can cause extensive and lasting damage to the environment," Zada said.
Environmental impacts of nearly 20 year War in Afghanistan linger after U.S. withdrawal
