August 18, 2021
By Mohamed Jalloh
When the hawkish United States (US) President George W. Bush invaded Afghanistan in October 2001, he was of the assumption that the Taliban could be easily overran and the conglomerate of American forces and their western allies would return home triumphantly in couple of months. Contrary to his wishes, the war has lasted for twenty years, with the Taliban forcing a withdrawal of all North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) forces from Afghanistan.
According to George W Bush, the assault on Afghanistan is a legitimate retribution of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the world trade Centre twin towers and the pentagon that left about 3000 people dead and another 25000 injured.
The main aim of the American invasion was to neutralize so called terrorist groups such as Al Qaeda from making Afghanistan a safe haven and to use the country as a launching pad to directing attacks against western powers. Moreover, the short term goal of the American interventionism was to hunt the leader of Al Qaeda, Osama Bin Laden who was believed to be the master mind of the of the September 11 attacks and to decimate his band of guerilla fighters. In the end, Osama Bin laden was killed by special American navy seals not in Afghanistan territory but in Pakistan a strong ally of America in the so called war on terror. What an irony!
The word Taliban is a derivative from the Pashto language meaning a student. The tutors or leaders of the organization assume the title Mullah which denotes a teacher. To guarantee eternal continuation of the organization, children as young as 5years old are enrolled in Madrasas (religious schools) to be indoctrinated in the Taliban viewpoint and attitude.
The Taliban transcends a political and military institution. It is a philosophy and a phenomenon, imbueding in the psyche of its membership an austere form of Islamic fundamentalism and mysticism as was established in the 7th century by the holy prophet of Islam MUHAMMAD (S.A.W).Interspersed with its religiosity, is the absolute rejection of foreign domination and external intervention.
Due to its strategic location linking north and south Asia, colonial powers have always courted a relationship with Afghanistan. Whether it’s the British that attempted to influence politics and commerce in the country from her colonial bastion in the Indian subcontinent in the 19th and early 20th century. And the former Soviet Union that towers over the country from its northern frontiers or the USA that is regarded as the world police, the proud people of Afghanistan have always resisted attempts at foreign subjugation.
The British were the first to incur the wrath of the Afghans during the first Anglo-Afghan war in 1838-1842.The British envoy Sir Mac Naghten, alongside 16,500 of his men (British and Indian soldiers) were killed by the Ghizai tribe’s men.
At the height of the cold war, the defeat of the Russians by the American backed Mujahedeen fighters was the precursor to the eventual collapse of the mighty Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (U.S.S.R) Empire. Captured Russian soldiers were brutally murdered by the Mujahedeen. Their feet were tied onto two vehicles. As the vehicles sped off the bodies of the captured soldiers dissect in two halves. The jagged terrain coupled with the harsh snowy weather in Afghanistan have always proved unfavorable for foreign aggressors. When the Russians left, a civil war broke out. Buddhists, Anarchist Communist and Liberal Democrats were all battling to capture the soul of the country. In 1996, the Taliban gained the upper hand and established the Islamic Emirates of Afghanistan. Despite allegations of restricting the education of women by western pundits, the establishment of an Islamic government succeeded in curbing corruption, tackling lawlessness and banditry and the revamping of commercial activities. Fruits, spices, puppy and carpets were exported to the rest of Asia to secure badly needed foreign to fund social services. Afghanistan is further blessed with immense mineral resources such as cobalt, copper, iron ore and gold. Western multinational companies had always desired to exploit these mineral resources. But when the Taliban realized that the terms of the contracts were skewed to the benefit of the multinational companies, it decided to leave the minerals underground to be better exploited by future generations. The Taliban concluded that any form of mineral exploitation must be to the advantage and benefit of the Afghan people. Therefore, the attempt to demonize the Taliban as a misogynistic and a pariah group, until it was liberated by “Freedom America” in 2001 was far from the truth. Parallels could be drawn with Saudi Arabia (a strong American ally) and the Islamic Republic of Iran that operate under the strict implementation of Sharia (Islamic) Law.
When the Americans invaded in 2001, what seems like a simple walk in the park turns out to be nightmare. About 2,300 American soldiers lost their lives with a considerable number returning home in prosthetic feet. The war eventually reached a stalemate. Having spanned four USA presidents, the current commander in Chief of the Armed Forces Joe Biden finally thought it fit to pull out of Afghanistan, prompting their NATO allies to follow suit. After two decades of resistance by the Taliban, many observers of central Asia are marred in puzzlement, as to why the world`s best militaries with the most sophisticated and modern weaponry was unable to vanquish the Taliban militarily. The Americans created a puppet government in Afghanistan headed by Hamid Karzai who was later succeeded by the absconding Ashraf Ghani after the Taliban recaptured Kabul (the capital city) and entered the presidential palace in August 2021.Of the trillion dollars that trickled in to establish a liberal democratic model in Afghanistan, $80 Billion was utilized in forming a national army comprising of 300,000 men. Despite twenty years of NATO training coupled with a sophisticated air force, the Afghan army lost the will to engage in combat with their fellow countrymen to pursue the expansionist agenda of western powers. Regardless of building dams and bridges the Americans have also struggled with public acceptance and confidence from the vast majority of the population. Many Afghans in the tribal areas that are immersed in the Islamic way of life dislikes the crusader approach of the western powers and further resents American lifestyles such as nude entertainment, homosexuality and lesbianism. Even American cultural Anthropologists have struggled to demystify the culture and traditions of the Afghan people. Contrary to conventional wisdom, the Taliban seems to refine its attitude towards the empowerment of women. After recapturing Kabul, the Taliban spokesman was interviewed by a female anchor of the Afghan national television. It has announced the establishment of the Islamic Emirates of Afghanistan and has replaced the country`s flag with that of the Taliban`s. With the exception of some puppet projectors of American power, the majority of Afghans have legitimately endorsed the Taliban. Less concerned about western international recognition recognition, the Taliban government would survive and thrive given that major powers such as Turkey, China and Russian are still operating their Embassies in Afghanistan.