It has been more than 15 years for US-led invasion of
Afghanistan and still there are no signs of logical conclusion. On April 13th,
fresh from Syrian bluster that earned plaudits of American political pundits,
Trump called for attacking IS module in Afghanistan by unleashing the Mother of
All Bombs (MOAB) days before American NSA H. R. Mc Master’s visit to Kabul. Proclaiming
and reinforcing American commitment to extricate the IS cadre operating in
Afghanistan, White House okayed this massive operation.
Signaling beginning of a new era of belligerence, Trump
continued the pace of the heightened military action with the dropping of GBU-43
or the Massive Ordnance Air Blast (MOAB), weighing 21,600 pounds and 30 ft, with
destructive capacity of 11 tons of TNT, over the putative IS shelters in Achin
district of eastern province of Nangarhar bordering Pakistan. MOAB was the
largest non-nuclear conventional war munition developed by American Army in a
run up to Iraq war in 2002 and was tested miles away from Elgin Air Base,
Florida in 2003. But was never used in Iraq war since it was believed to
inflict severe damages including civilian causalities. MOAB categorized as MOP
(Massive Ordnance Penetrator) is specially designed to destroy underground
bunkers as deep as 200ft below surface. It can literally annihilate anything
within a radius of one mile. Afghan
civilians residing close to the targeted area complained of experiencing ground
breaking tremors after the bombing. The area was cordoned off preventing the
entry of the media reporters or other independent investigators. Two days
later, Afghan officials reported death of 94 terrorists including 18 radicalized
Indian youth. This stunning operation in Afghanistan was greeted by loud
applause by majority of American think-tanks. Enthused by the support for the
show of power in Syria and Afghanistan in political circles, Mike Pence, warned
North Korea of a military action on his visit to Seoul on April 17th.
Latest reports of Reuters now illustrate that MOAB bombed
area showed signs of veritable destruction replete of ruined burnt structures, charred
trees along the mountainous terrain. But there was hardly any evidence of human
damage raising curious doubts about the MOAB, touted to be as devastating as
the two bombs dropped over Japanese cities during World War II. The trail of
destruction pales in comparison and even the extent of spread was much less
than 1 mile as exalted by American experts. US Defense secretary in a bid to
brandish critics asserted that US armed personnel are not interested in
determining the human loss. But this bombastic display of power by American
seems to be a lost cause now. The latest report which had no iota of evidence
of the human loss portends well with the anguish of Former Afghan President
Hamid Karzai who denounced America. He accused America of using IS as a ruse to
turn Afghanistan into a testing ground for its munitions. Several Afghan
opposition leaders joined chorus saying America carried out bombing to quell
domestic opposition to Trump’s administration.
Despite repeated failures, US authorities insist that
military missions are an effective means of conveying tough message to
adversaries, the ground realities prove otherwise. Eight days after Trump’s
propagandist assertive war against IS in Afghanistan, Afghan Taliban carried out
worst ever bloody carnage. Trespassing the layers of security, Taliban opened
fire on unarmed Afghan troops coming out after Namaz, at Camp Shaheen near
Mazar-e-Sharif. Taliban who were dressed in military uniform attacked the army
base housing the 209th corps killing over 140 soldiers. The
operation which lasted for 6 hours was in retaliation to the killing of two
Afghan Taliban shadow governors in the provinces of Kunduz and Baghlan. This
was the deadliest of attacks carried out by Taliban since their banishment from
power in 2001. Last year alone, American agencies reported that Taliban killed
6785 Afghan national security forces. Currently there are 8400 US troops and
6000 NATO & allied troops. The security condition of Afghanistan has been
steadily deteriorating. Taliban has more areas under their control than in 2011
and increasingly more areas are coming into their fold. Afghan national forces
battered the repeated assaults are now a crumbling force.
On the other hand, an ambiguous American policy lacking a
strategic plan of action is frittering away the resources and failing the ever
more determined resolve of present Afghan political dispensation. By constantly
shifting focus from the regional players to international players like IS and
Al-Qaeda, America is setting new goal posts and gradually losing ground. US
military estimates that around 600 to 800 IS fighters (IS Khorasan) are in
Nangarhar and its neighboring Kunar province. But US fails to comprehend that
Afghan Taliban is the dangerous force in Afghanistan. Until the Afghan Taliban
are rendered ineffective, Afghanistan would continue to plunge into an abyss.
While American officials vainly defend, that Russia has armed the Taliban in
the latest attack, it is an open secret that Taliban has been supported, funded
and patronized by Pakistan. It is intriguing that despite repeated warnings
from the American strategic experts and military establishment since 2003 of
the formidable collusion between Taliban and Pakistan, US continues to hoodwink
the international community.
In March 2017, General Joseph Votel, deposed before the
Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) that “twenty US-designated terrorist organizations operate in
Afghanistan-Pakistan sub-region; seven of the 20 are in Pakistan. So, long as
these groups maintain safe havens inside Pakistan they will threaten long term
stability in Afghanistan. Of particular concern to us is Haqqani Network (HQN)
which poses greatest threat to coalition forces operating in Afghanistan”.
Earlier in Feb 2017, General Nicholson stated before the SASC that “The Taliban and The Haqqani Network are greatest
threats to security in Afghanistan. Their senior leaders remain insulated from
pressure and enjoy freedom of action within Pakistan safe havens. As long as
they enjoy external enablement, they have no incentive to reconcile. The
primary factor that will enable our success is the elimination of external sanctuary
and support to the insurgents”. In unequivocal terms of highest officials
working on ground in Afghanistan sent a message to the US administration. But
the American pathological obsession of straying away from attacking the root
cause of the solution resulted in a stalemate in Afghanistan.
Way back in 2011 coalition forces made major gains in
Afghanistan but the tactical momentum was lost as America failed to dismantle
the strategic support system of Taliban. US has been sufficiently warned of
Pakistan’s subterfuge, malfeasance and its strategic policy of destabilizing
the region. But America failed to break Pakistan’s inimical strategic foreign
policy. A policy which traces its origins to the humiliating defeat in 1971
war. Though Pakistan lost all the four wars started by it against India, after
the 1971 war, Pakistan not only resolved to possess nuclear weapon but also charted
a strategy of raising an army of terrorists against India and Afghanistan by
infusing Salafi-Deobandi jihadist ideology. Pakistan Army and Inter-Services
Intelligence (ISI) together mentored and trained the terrorist forces to
unleash proxy war against both nations. While Pakistan aimed to dismember
Kashmir from India (besides Ghazwa-E-Hind doctrine), it aspired to convert Afghanistan
into a client state. This outrageous pathological agenda received a fresh lease
for life when America began to generously donate dollars in 1979 to empower
Pakistan in Afghan-Soviet war. Ever since ISI passionately patronized and
cultivated the Islamic zealots. Pakistan first successfully experimented with
the first harvest of jihadists by training them to overthrown Najibullah
government supported by Soviet Union. By 1994, ISI supported the emerging
Afghan Taliban which successfully toppled Afghan regime in 1996 and remained in
power till 2001. The despotic, draconian, feudal Taliban regime annihilated the
cosmopolitan attributes of Afghanistan. During this period Pakistan has
inextricably penetrated Afghan administration, political establishment and wielded
great control over Afghanistan.
Even after US-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, ISI hasn’t
exonerated itself of neighboring state affairs and continued to play nefarious
games. It provided needed support and shelter for the Afghan Taliban in its
territory. ISI paved way for phenomenal revival of the terrorist groups like
Haqqani Network and Taliban. In its seven-decade long association with America,
Pakistan sought parity with India initially and sought aid for acquiring
weapons for conventional warfare initially. Later when CIA requested ISI help
with Afghan issue Pakistan effectively milked America. Clouded by geopolitical
aspirations, America ignored ISI’s odious connections with Al-Qaeda. Till now
Pakistan received over $33 billion as financial aid from America. Though
America dubbed Islamabad as frenemy, it continued to generously incentivize
Pakistan for tacit strategic and geopolitical advantage. The Frankenstein
monster nurtured by America is rearing it dangerous fangs and seriously
disrupting restoration of peace and stability in Afghanistan. In the meanwhile,
wearied by Afghanistan stalemate and domestic pressure, President Obama instead
of pressurizing Pakistan to prevail over Taliban and HQN ordered for gradual
withdrawal of troops. Bitten by prospect of peace through negotiations with
Taliban, US exchanged Taliban leaders lodged in Guatanamo Bay for an American
personnel held hostage and held secret peace talks with Taliban in Qatar. In
the meanwhile, Pakistan’s all weather friendship energized its clandestine
agenda by vetoing sanctions at international forums. Pakistan continued to
impart technical and financial momentum into its Afghan agenda by relentlessly
bolstering Afghan Taliban. Now China to insulate fragile Xinjiang province
bordering Afghanistan from the Muslim extremism is relying on Pakistan. The duo
is now enthusiastically clambering for Russian support to side with Taliban citing
growing IS threat in the region. Iran which is keen on evacuation of American
forces from Afghanistan is inclined to join this group.
For long US continued to ignore the deafening warnings of
India and several other countries of Pakistan’s dubious distinction as breeding
ground for terrorists. US believed that it could pressurize Pakistan to act on
terror networks operating from its territories through monetary incentives. But
Pakistan hardly complied with American stipulations of dismantling the terror
hubs. Now it is growing from strength to strength by smartly forging ties with
countries with vested interests. Intuitively, US instead of reveling in
high-handed military missions must step up ultimatums against Pakistan to break
the strategic nexus of disrupting the peace and stability in South Asia. Else
the lofty ambition of restoring peace in Afghanistan would continue to elude
America and other stakeholders in the region.
There is a striking pattern to American military intervention
in various countries. Be it Iraq, Afghanistan, Yemen, Libya and Syria, US would
enthusiastically jump into fray when least expected, completely derail the
existing frame work with uncanny exuberance and mess up the governance
hierarchy. Till now none of these wars have ended or have shown sign of
respite. Clearly suggesting that US foreign policy has been lopsided, short
sighted and devoid of congruent strategic plan. Like Syrian military bluster,
American bravado in Afghanistan failed to make any difference but instead
reiterated America’s obsession for high-handedness.
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