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Afghanistan's forgotten war
What the Americans and their allies have failed to understand is that for most people in the country life has not improved.
- By Osama Al Sharif, Special to Gulf News
- Published: 00:45 February 10, 2008
- Image Credit: Illustration by Nino Jose Heredia/Gulf News
With media and public opinion attention focused almost exclusively on Iraq, it is sometimes easy to forget that there is another war going on in Afghanistan. And in recent weeks it appeared that America and its Nato allies are not sure of how to bring their seven-year campaign in that country to a satisfactory closure.
But it is in that derelict country that the war on terrorism was launched following the attacks on America in September 2001. Coalition bombing and a land invasion by the Northern Alliance toppled the Taliban government and drove its fleeing supporters deep into Pashtun areas along the Pakistan borders.
By mid-November 2001 it appeared that the Taliban movement was wiped out although its leader Mullah Omar and Al Qaida's Osama Bin Laden and most of his lieutenants remained at large.
From there on the task of aiding the transitional government of President Hamid Karzai was handed over to the International Security Assistance Force (Isaf), which is a Nato-led force whose initial mission was to secure Kabul against attacks by Taliban and Al Qaida. Today that force is more than 40,000 strong and its mandate has been expanded to cover the entire country.
While the bulk of the force is drawn from US, British, Canadian and French troops, more than 20 countries have contributed small contingents mostly to help in reconstruction and training.
Billions of dollars were pledged to fund projects but in spite of many breakthroughs, the government was repeatedly accused of mismanagement and corruption. Worst of all the opium trade has re-emerged and new warlords took over in distant provinces.
America's invasion of Iraq in 2003 shifted attention from Afghanistan, and while Karzai's government issued appeals for more funds and troops to help extend its authority over the rest of the country, there were few sympathetic ears willing to listen. As the war in Iraq turned bad, the Taliban were making a slow comeback in Afghanistan.
By the end of 2006, Nato forces, in particular the Canadians, found themselves engaged in bitter fighting in the southern regions of Afghanistan. The Taliban made some daring attacks and scored important victories.
Today Nato is divided over the issue with Canada threatening to pull out and others, such Germany, hesitating to commit additional ground troops. The US has sent additional forces but with the Iraq surge plan ongoing it feels it has little else to offer.
It is ironic that the crucial issue during a recent Nato meeting on Afghanistan focused on Canada's demand that Nato send at least 1,000 more troops. None was to be found. Meanwhile it is reported that the Taliban are making use of the porous borders with Pakistan's tribal provinces and are able to sustain supply lines and recruit thousands of willing warriors.
No final blow
This is not to say that the Taliban will soon overcome Nato forces in the south and make their advance northwards. If anything both sides know that this war will drag on for years and that, at least for now, none has the capacity to deal a final blow to the other side.
And Nato knows that this is not the conventional war that its forces and generals were trained for. Since its inception in 1949, this military alliance was designed to defend Europe against the mighty armies of the Soviet Union. It was ready to deploy thousands of tanks, fighter jets, submarines and tactical nuclear weapons to fight an equally prepared opponent.
But in Afghanistan it is a different story. Its forces are engaged in guerilla warfare against a fierce enemy hiding in rugged hills and mingling with civilians. The Taliban belong to a 40 million strong Pashtun tribe that is spread in southern Afghanistan and western Pakistan.
Throughout history, the Pashtuns have been recognised as fierce fighters who engaged the British colonialists, the Soviet invaders and today they provide sanctuary to the Taliban.
So far Nato has been unwilling to admit that a Taliban resurgence is at hand. The Americans believe sending more troops will do the trick in Afghanistan just like it worked in Iraq under the surge plan. But there is a fundamental flaw in that approach because the Taliban represent a cultural rather than a military challenge.
What the Americans and their allies have failed to understand is that for most people in Afghanistan life has not really improved in the post-Taliban era. While important achievements have been made in certain areas, especially with regard to education and health, rampant corruption and the reappearance of warlords in this tribal country have dwarfed the role of the central government.
This is probably why Karzai feels despondent and threatened. He knows that if public opinion turns against him and his invited guests, the Nato troops, things could turn bad and very soon for his government.
Still Washington and its allies are missing the point. During their surprise joint visit to Kabul last week, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and her British counterpart David Miliband called for more troops to be sent to Afghanistan.
With the situation in Iraq broiling and Afghanistan still unsettled one wonders if the war on terror has run its course and its proponents have lost sight of its objectives.
Osama Al Sharif is a veteran publisher and journalist based in Amman.
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