Even as the security situation becomes more dangerous and strikes by armed opponents of the government increase, there is concern outside the government that a proposed shift in the strategy of Afghanistan’s western allies may not be in the country’s interest.
While military authorities see the support of international forces as necessary to counter terrorism, they aver that Afghan security forces have now gained the ability to fight against anti-government fighters and ensure the security throughout the country.
Moreover, some are asking how can the US-led NATO forces be confident of victory in Afghanistan considering the track record. There are murmurs that a return to the battlefield at this point is more a tug-of-war for control of the region with Russia.
Says Farhad Ghiasi, a civil society activist in Badakhshan, “At present there is a proxy war between the US and Russia in Afghanistan, particularly in the north of the country. There are reports that some anti-government fighters are being supported and armed by Moscow.”
Simultaneously, the Afghan government, which is supported by the US, has always tried to needlessly showcase military and political independence at international fora like the summit in Brussels last year in October where 75 countries participated.
Has the US honestly helped Afghanistan? Ghiasi believes no government including the Afghan government has acted honestly regarding Afghanistan. He says, “The US tries to make the situation critical in Afghanistan to menace Russia and China. The latter two are also trying to weaken US influence and get benefits for themselves.”
Self interest
Analysts say the US without understanding the sensitivities of countries in the region sent its troops to Afghanistan in pursuit of its “war on terror”, aimed at wiping out terrorism. Aziz Rafeaee, who heads a civil society network, says the US’s self-interest has overridden all other concerns in its policy on Afghanistan. “After the US came to Afghanistan and brought NATO in, even considering China and Russia as allies, it did not calculate Iran and Pakistan had stakes in the region and (Washington) believed that economic defeat of Iran (through sanctions) would ensure Tehran would not be able to stand up to a NATO led by the US,” says Rafeaee.
He believes the American even miscalculated on the role of Russia in the region and only counted on the hate of the Afghan people for Moscow. According to Rafeaee, the Americans would not be able to create a coalition in the Middle East or South Asia.
“The US has now realised that other countries have entered the battlefield considering the present political and security weaknesses. It has realised that leaders in the Afghan government still have tribal affiliations and concerns, and while in the past one tribe was all-powerful, now many cut their own political deals and foreign relations. The US no longer believes in the tribalism within the government. This situation should be changed through any possible way and the government should be one,” he says.
US officials have reiterated their commitment to support the Afghan military including with the deployment of additional forces, and have urged NATO partners and allies to send more forces. France, Denmark, Australia and Britain have all spoken about reviewing the issue of sending more troops to Afghanistan.
Mohammad Radmansh, deputy spokesperson for the Ministry of Defence, says that any plan to benefit Afghan security forces is welcome. The present success of Afghan forces in operations against armed anti-government groups is all because the international community, specifically the US, has kept the promise to finance and equip Afghan security forces.
