Americans Bite Their Fingers over the Taliban

Afghanistan is known as “the graveyard of empires,” as it is famous for humiliating those who seek to occupy it. This includes the efforts of the Soviet Union in the ’80s, as well as those of the British Empire during the 19th century, and their forced withdrawal after losing what seemed at first an easy victory. The American news network CNN concluded [in recent coverage] by saying, “Indeed, the American forces now know that the Taliban are playing a game of time with them.”*

Days before the war was undertaken by the United States against the Taliban in Afghanistan — which would cost the American taxpayers $3 billion, in addition to the dread experienced by the international forces there, as well as by the Afghan citizens due to Taliban attacks — CNN aired a report begging the question, “What is achieved by fighting the war against this organization?!” The channel also said in its presentation that the losses suffered by Western forces include the deaths of 3,500 soldiers. In addition, tens of thousands of Afghans have died during the years of the war, which began in 2001. Further, last week, the Afghan forces withdrew from two locations in the Helmand Province, Lashkar Gah and Sangin, giving the Taliban the opportunity to impose its control over the remainder of the province.

The former Soviet Union occupied Afghanistan in 1978, but it faced fierce opposition from what are known as the Afghan mujahedeen, as well as the Arab mujahedeen, who joined them in what is known as a jihad against the Soviet occupation. These fighters succeeded, as they were supported by U.S. intelligence as well as financially supported by the governments of some Arab countries, which also encouraged young people to emigrate and join the ranks of the mujahedeen. In the end, Soviet troops were forced to withdraw from Afghanistan. After the withdrawal, fighting between yesterday’s allies within the mujahedeen, as well as between parties, dominates the chaos in Afghanistan today. It was in this atmosphere that the Taliban emerged as students of Sharia led by Mullah Muhammad Omar and quickly took control over vast areas of Afghanistan, including the capital, Kabul, where they proclaimed the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. Among the Arab fighters in the Afghan ranks was Osama bin Laden, the leader of al-Qaida, who had moved there after leaving Sudan.

The movement has persisted in Afghanistan but has not been recognized, except by Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, which later withdrew their recognition following the Sept.11, 2001 attacks on the Pentagon and the World Trade Center towers in New York. The U.S. president at the time, George Bush, demanded that the Taliban government hand over bin Laden and al-Qaida, claiming that they launched the attacks on the United States. Mullah Omar, the leader of the movement, demanded that the U.S. government provide proof of bin Laden’s involvement. The U.S. response in October 2001 was to bomb and attack Afghanistan, as well as the formation of an international coalition in order to oust the Taliban government, which has since been achieved.

However, the Taliban has not kept quiet. Rather, it has been fighting the U.S. forces, the coalition, as well as the Afghan government set up by the U.S. and international forces. The fighting continues today. The fact is that Taliban forces have become a major threat and are making progress in many areas; they are adept at hit-and-run operations and are familiar with the mountainous nature of Afghanistan. Therefore, their operations are diverse against the occupying forces and the Afghan government, and many deaths are to be expected given the repeated attacks on U.S. bases. Thus, imposed upon the U.S. and the Afghan government are negotiations with the Taliban in order to reach a consensual solution, which would make the movement a partner in the Afghan government, thus recognizing its strength. This is a matter that is being exploited and maneuvered by the movement. It recognizes the extent of the weakness of the Afghan government and its forces. It knows very well that the survival of the Afghan government is dependent on continued U.S. support and the presence of NATO forces.

However, in recent years, the participating countries in the U.S.-led coalition have begun to announce the withdrawal of their troops. The result is clear: All of the years of war have not been able to eliminate the Taliban, as the U.S. had once predicted. The knowledge of the imminent withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan is something that increases the strength of the Taliban, and the decision to pounce on the current Afghan government has been made and will occur immediately after the withdrawal of those forces. This also pushes the Obama administration to work to escape from the quagmire of Afghanistan.

There are meetings from time to time between officials of the Afghan government and the Taliban in the Qatari capital, Doha, in order to reach a settlement. However, until now, there have been no serious and genuine negotiations between the two parties. In order to reach a settlement, the U.S. is paying in American lives for a face-saving way out of Afghanistan. This means an announcement of their miserable failure in achieving their goals of invading Afghanistan, the elimination of al-Qaida, and the elimination of the Taliban. However, the Taliban has remained and has become stronger since the beginning. Likewise, al-Qaida has remained, branched out, and has had an unprecedented spread not only within Afghanistan, but also into other Arab areas and organizations, such as the Islamic State, al-Nusra Front, Ansar Bait al-Maqdis, Boko Haram and others. The U.S. policy failures and losses are evidenced by the lives lost by the occupying forces, the Afghan forces, and others, as well as by the number of those wounded and injured due to the war. Additionally, the billions that have been spent for the sake of winning the war in vain also evidence U.S. failure, as well as the image of the U.S. as a superpower with the strongest marine fleets, armies, and marine bases around the world that could not achieve its goals in Afghanistan. To defeat all of this and triumph, the militants must not be carrying simple, but unconventional weapons. America bites its fingers furiously over all that was spent and suffered in vain.

*Editor’s note: Correctly translated, this quote could not be verified.