Afghanistan: Why the Taliban Takeover is Dangerous for Believers

On Sunday, 8 August 2021, the Taliban stormed Kabul, Afghanistan, and took over the capital city. In a matter of days, all of the major cities had been captured, as well U.S. trained and equipped military facilities. The president, Ashraf Ghani also fled.

All of this happened 2 weeks before the U.S. completes it's troop withdrawal after almost 20 years of being in the country.

So far, in these various areas, the Taliban have executed people, performed lashings on women, shut down schools, and blown up hospitals and infrastructure. They are facing firing squads, but are trying to withdraw their money or obtain a flight to flee their country.

The Taliban not only plan to hurt more people, but it is probable that the country will become a safe haven for other terrorist groups such as ISIS.

So what does this mean for Christians?

The Taliban is very prone to violence and hatred against Christians and women. On the Voice of the Martyrs Global Report, Afghanistan is #2 on the list of worst persecuted countries. Between 18 000-20 000 people are Believers and have to worship God is secret. About 3 000 of them are from muslim background.

The persecution won't necessarily be worse than it was 20 years ago when the Taliban was still ruling, but there are more Christians in Afghanistan this time around. This means Afghan believers will face oppression and danger whether foreign troops have a presence in the country or not.

But there is hope in Christ. Afghan pastor's are not backing down. The people are praying. God has a plan and a purpose.

So how can we pray?

1. Pray that Afghan's will have wisdom in whether to flee the country or not, whether this is God's will for their lives.

2. Pray for God's protection over and comfort for the Believers in Afghanistan.

3. Pray for the women and children in the country, as they might be stripped of their rights in various areas.

4. Pray for the terrorists, that they will see their wrongdoing and come to Christ.

5. Pray that the country will not become a safe haven for other terrorist groups.

6. Pray that more people will turn to Christ in this difficult time.