Ground Realities in Afghanistan

By Masud Wadan for VT

The reality in Afghanistan is not just what we see or read in the media, it is unutterably much “worse” and “heart-breaking”. The current intensifying terrorism and turmoil in Afghanistan is, of course, suggesting another long era of conflict ahead, which may extend up to many decades or may be endless.

The past 14 years of international presence obviously did ensure no security, which is now leading back to the loss of achievements of this era.

To keep people hopeful of future, government formed the so called “High Peace Council” in an effort to integrate Taliban militants back into communities. They established the anti-corruption office to uproot rampant graft and official corruption as well as established the ministry of anti-narcotics to combat narcotism, but none of these and many other deceptive and bogus efforts have been for the good of the country so far.

Indeed, it is not beyond the capability of Afghan government and international community to tackle all the mess.

The country is now moving into a new chapter of war with the rise of “brand new” insurgents with more powerful operations and arms across the country. The leaders of National Unity Government – the name which has now become “so called” for almost all the people of Afghanistan is leaning to a policy in the sole support of foreign states and turning a blind eye to internal disaster and the cries of victims of war, tarnishing Afghanistan’s international image in the eyes of the world.

A recent report says government formally surrendered Dand-e Ghoori area of north-eastern Baghlan province of Afghanistan to the Taliban group. The area is few kilometers away from the highway connecting Kabul and the northern provinces of the country.

The militants of this area can be used as “leverage” by their supporters to keep control over the military supplies between southern and northern regions as the Taliban fighters once did so by impeding the military convoy’s progress to the city of Kunduz to take it back from assailants.

This is an “alarm” to the destabilization of north by blocking the route for the transportation of reinforcements and military equipments in the event of the Taliban’s mass attack.

The Taliban in the northern Afghanistan are now recruiting forces from the area rather than taking fighters along from elsewhere. This strategy helps them remain longer in the region as they learned from an early experience when they raided the unfavorable northern region of Afghanistan during their rule between 1996 and 2001 and failed to cling on to their strongholds over short of tribal and ethnical support in the region.

Lack of coordination and experience among security authorities and commanders has “jeopardized” the lives of hundreds of Afghan security forces in the restive provinces. Afghan troops are often left stranded, unarmed and besieged in their outposts against the Taliban’s outmatched and outgunned militants, allegedly over secret local to high level deals.

 The purpose of Pakistan’s nurturing and arming of a broad-range of alien militants including Chechens, Tajik, Uzbek, and Arab is to have a force with no “compassion” towards locals of areas they attack or hold.

On his arrival from British tour, Pakistan army chief general Raheel Sharif warned that the Taliban militants could join the recently emerged ISIS terrorist group in Afghanistan if Afghan government fails to make compromise. He added the public tendency to the ISIS group is on the rise.

What does he really mean of his remarks? Why they don’t honestly work with the Afghan government to eradicate terrorism, instead of bringing over and stating vexing news in a rushed appearance before media soon after arrival from Europe tour. He may be discharging itself of the subsequent escalated conflict in Afghanistan or putting weight behind the role of the Taliban to get more concessions from Afghan government in the peace talks.

His statement has somewhat connection to the recent briefing of Afghan interior minister in questioning session of the Senate House (Meshrano Jirga), as saying:

A new wave of “multi-national” terrorist fighters is on their way to Afghanistan to be added to the strength of the present forces towards achieving the newly planned objectives in the country. He predicts that around “9 to 10” provinces will fall to the hands of the Taliban this year. The minister openly spoke of Pakistan and Iran’s interferences in internal affairs of the country unlike before.

The people of Afghanistan need to know why Afghan security authorities is taking no defensive measure, in place of comfortably explaining what evil is going to happen next. People have also been fed up with the blame game with Pakistan which has become the speech to justify the failures.

Today in Afghanistan nothing goes on as per the Afghan constitution – a government of “dual leadership”, and the extension of the term of parliament to an indefinite period. Most, if not all, of the parliamentarians are associated either with regional intelligence agencies or internal well-known parties, working for own interest.

Parliamentary election was therefore delayed by foreign powers in a bid to have them in place for longer. This is, undoubtedly, in favor of all sides. Many MPs are accused by media of accommodating and directing suicide bombers in the capital Kabul. And if newer members replace them as result of election, all their business flow could go ruined, where external powers are concerned as well.

The recent surge of militant’s movements and developments across the country raise the need for NATO member states to reconsider their troop’s withdrawal. Although the U.S airstrikes on civilian positions such as the one on Doctors Without Borders (also referred to as “MSF”) hospital in Kunduz which left several medical staff and patients dead in the spot has despaired people of international forces’ reactions in the country.  

Many American military commanders believe the early withdrawal could mean the repeat of Iraq scenario in Afghanistan, as the ISIS forces in Iraq intensified operations and killed many US-trained Iraqi troops following the exit.

On the other hand, former Jihadist leaders are criticizing Ghani’s government for supposedly keeping them out of the government circle as opposed to Karzai’s administration when they had occupied key ministries and senior positions.

Recently, some Jihadist leaders including those currently holding government positions convened in Paghman district of Kabul, worried over what is said to be the Kunduz incident. The meeting concluded with a plan to ask the president to allow militia forces (mujahidin) to stand up against Taliban’s atrocities, who fears the Taliban would seize most of the northern provinces of Afghanistan which is of vital importance for them.

The demand, however, was later refused by president in a press conference, suggesting them to use forces and arms from the government’s direction, as president is skeptical about their honesty.

Many of these influential Jihadist leaders run their own illegal armed groups (IAG) in their respective regions. Among the IAG commanders in Kunduz province, one belongs to Abdullah, the CEO of Afghan government, who is reportedly said to be involved in many crimes in the province including theft, kidnapping and murder.

Kunduz city’s “massacre” at the hand of the Taliban insurgents was the one unexampled in the past 14 years after removal of Taliban in 2001. As insurgents storm the city, they start with opening aimless firing at civilians they face with and making the worst killing spree in their history of formation.

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