Afghanistan is reaching the end of yet another chapter of her troubled history with withdrawal of US troops from country after almost 20 years of occupation. Afghanistan has once again proven herself as a graveyard of invaders and political quagmire. In the last 198 years, Britain, USSR, and the US have invaded Afghanistan. All of them have been forced to retreat with meagre and temporary gains for their immense efforts. When US invaded the country in October 2001, the Taliban controlled almost 90% of Afghanistan, after the hasty US hand over of its main Bagram Airbase on 3 July, 2021 to Afghan government, the Taliban still controlled 40% of the country, and were on the offensive. They withstood the worst that the world’s greatest military power had been able to throw at them, and have emerged victorious. It was obvious that a civil war will ensue after the US retreat, with such a strong strategic position Taliban have every chance of winning this civil war.
As of now, in face of rapid territorial advances of Taliban, the incompetence of Afghan Army is evident. The Afghan army which kept Taliban at bay for several years is now melting away like ice in heat, which is probably another astonishing aspect of this war. Whether it is the incapability of top army brass or pre-planned insider's plot to smoothly deliver the reign of Afghanistan into the Taliban hands. Whichever the case, now it’s anyone's guess that Kabul will fall in hands of Taliban eventually and they will become the masters of fate of this troubled nation as they are sweeping through the country without any significant resistance.
According to Taliban claims they are now in control of 85% territory of Afghanistan and in recent days they have seized major border crossings in Herat, Farah and Kunduz provinces in the north and west. On 14 July Taliban fighters also seized control of a major strategic border crossing at Spin Boldak with Pakistan. Meanwhile several rural district centers have also been captured by Taliban. In the south, most of Helmand province is in their hands and by early July they have reached the vicinity of the provincial capital, Lashkar Gah which is on the verge of collapse. Taliban are in control of a US base in Wardak Province, just an hour from the nation’s capital, Kabul.
It is quite clear that Afghanistan's end game is firmly in grasp of Taliban, it’s up to them whether they choose to continue the fight and take control of remaining Afghanistan by force while beating the Afghan Government into submission which will risk a continuous armed resistance from opposing factions, or if they honor their commitment to USA and negotiate a settlement with the all stake holders including Afghan government, all might not be lost. Now, it remains to be seen, whether Afghans have learnt their lesson after decades of foreign occupation along with various ruthless civil wars which resulted in loss of countless innocent lives and already scarce infrastructure. Let’s not forget the spillover of Afghan refugees into neighboring countries which created countless socio-economic problems for the host countries.
For the sake of regional stability and future of their own country all Afghan stake holders should sit together in harmony and enact any form of governance which is acceptable for all parties. After so much bloodshed we really hope that Afghans will not only respect each other's view point but also stop fighting their own shadows. As torn and intolerant societies invite foreign intervention, which results in unending cycle of civil wars and invasions.
Very informative
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