The ‘War on Terror’ that we face today takes its geneses from the traumatic 9/11 tragedy. The magnificent twin towers were razed in a jiffy precipitating panic across the globe. This was not the first time that Al-Qaeda was implicated in masterminding the attacks; there had been occurrences when it was involved in causing damage to the US targets worldwide.
First came the charge of bombing World Trade Centre back in 1993. Then Al-Qaeda was held responsible for carrying out the assault on the US forces in Somalia in 1993. The US embassies were pounded in Tanzania and Kenya in 1998, and again Al-Qaeda was indicted for that. Following these attacks on the embassies, the US President Bill Clinton launched ‘Operation Infinite Reach’ in Sudan and Afghanistan against targets associated with Al-Qaeda.
Having received these brands of disgrace, Al-Qaeda was again there in maneuvering 9/11-game making way for the US and its western cohorts to launch operations wherever they intended against targets attached with Al-Qaeda. This time, the scene for the battle was staged in Afghanistan.
After 9/11, the US embarked on a fully-fledge operation named ‘Enduring Freedom’ that removed Taliban from power and ended ostensibly Al-Qaeda’s use of the country as a terrorist base. The subsequent events and operations reinforced considerably Samuel P. Huntington’s theory of ‘The Clash of Civilization’.
Seven years have passed since the Nato-led forces took over Afghanistan but little success or laurels fell in their share. The idea of flushing the Taliban militants out of the land and rendering Afghan people a renewed sense of peace and equanimity seems still a far-off dream. Every other day there is a clash between ISAF and Taliban commandoes and every skirmish reinforces the latter’s indomitable spirit implying that you can win a fight against any other nation but Afghan ethos is different. This is what the British learnt.
On Sunday, the 13th of July, the American forces had to face the deadliest attack on its military contingents in Kunar province that left nine Americans dead and 15 wounded. What noticeably captures the attention is that it was not a “hit and run” attack typical of guerrilla fighters. The Taliban not only made a vehement assault on the American base but the battle lasted for the whole day as well. The weapons wielded by the Taliban ranged from machine guns and mortars to rocket-propelled grenades. This really leaves us to wonder what the American-led security forces have achieved in Afghanistan since October, 2001. The Taliban still exist in strength and have their command and control structure intact and unimpaired. They continue to have new recruits and their sources of arms supply remain unbroken.
Moreover they also have the sympathies of the locals which the Americans will never have as they will always be considered foreign troops and occupiers who do not even flinch from hurting innocent civilians. These civilians then have no other resort than to hit back whenever they secure an opportunity to damage the US cause.
The Americans’ credibility nowhere subsists in Afghanistan. When the British swayed over the peoples across the world in the days of imperialism, they were sensible enough to earn favour from certain sections of the society; and furthermore they were forthright in fulfilling their pledges in certain cases. But here the case looks different and have been embroiled to an unpredictably dangerous extent; and every other day collaborates the journey that seems to have no ending until there is a relented and pleasant shift in US policy towards war on terror.
The foreign forces fighting on Afghan soil total around 70,000 of which the Americans account for almost 32,000. There is also Afghan National Army sharing responsibility to bring stability to the region. In addition to this, there are border security forces, village defence militia, Afghan National Police and security companies. These forces have no paucity of weapons and essential paraphernalia used in wars. In juxtaposition, the Afghan Taliban are exiguous in number yet they have ample enthusiasm and fervour to fight till the last.
This war being rampant has considerably expanded its influence to Pakistan’s tribal areas. Now these areas have become the focus of intention. In her recent visit to Australia, Condoleeza Rice said Pakistan needed to do more to help curb the flow of militants across its border to Afghanistan as Taliban had escalated terrorist activities.
Democrat presidential candidate Barrack Obama said in an op-ed published in The New York Times that the real source of terrorism lay at the border areas of Pakistan and as president he would focus on that restive region.
Hamid Karzai also opened squall of baseless criticism for Pakistan to be the biggest exporter of terrorism to the world, especially Afghanistan. But he forgot to comment on Pentagon’s first assessment of the Afghan situation since the US invasion of 2001. The report concedes that Taliban have regrouped and coalesced into a resilient insurgency despite efforts by the US administration to contain them. The Taliban militants carried out a record 2,615 roadside-bomb attacks in 2007, up from 1,931 in 2006.
Now the war has markedly expanded its perilous wings to the regions of Pakistan. The people in the tribal belt doubtlessly have soft feelings for the Mujahideen fighting with ISAF. Negroponte, Richard Boucher, Condoleeza Rice, Gen David Petraeus and the spearhead President Bush have shown their increasing concerns over the militants in tribal areas of Pakistan. The White House and Pentagon officials have vociferously shown that they are least in favour of peace deals with Taliban on the Pakistani side. They are piling pressure on the democratically-elected government of Pakistan and are deeply frustrated with Pakistan’s lack of ability to end the rising infiltration into Afghanistan.
The American administration has always focused on the aftermath but has not eyed the causes that have given birth to this uncontrolled insurgency. The war that is being fought is not the outcome of just a religious philosophy that ordains to slay any infidel whosoever. The elements that are spurring the cause of insurgency should also be taken into account. It has been observed that the religious parties, which had won in 2002, fully participated in the February 2008 elections but did not win a single seat in the districts comprising the former Malakand Division – Swat, Upper Dir, Lower Dir, Buner, Malakand Protected Area, Shangla and Chitral.
The innocent civilians who suffer at the hands of foreign troops are vehemently indignant at them. A renowned journalist lately visited FATA in order to ascertain the scene behind the screen. He met a juvenile who vowed to conduct a suicide bomb in Islamabad as his two brothers died as a result of an air raid. They did not have anything to do with militants but the reaction is ferocious. On June 23 last year, the US-led Nato forces had attacked Pakistani territory in Shawal valley killing the entire family of Pikhawar Khan who could not bear the loss and took his own life the same day. It has now become a routine affair for the US and Nato aircraft to intrude into Pakistani space with impunity. The attacks carried out by the US-led Nato forces in Bajaur, Damadola, Mohmand region and Angoor Adda can be quoted in this regard. The alarming thing is that now the US has stopped sharing information with Pakistan regarding action against terrorists in the tribal areas.
The foreign troops have shown little regard for Afghan lives. In the last three weeks, about 100 innocent civilians were bombed to death in different parts of Afghanistan. The bombing at a wedding party in Deh Bala in the eastern Nangarhar province killed 47 civilians, including the naïve bride and 38 other women and children. More than 20 villagers perished in another bombing raid in Nuristan province. In another incident, eight people hailing from the same family which included four women and three children were put to death in Bakwa area in southwestern Farah province when their house received an aerial attack; and four more civilians lost their lives in a similar strike in neighbouring Herat.
The situation in Afghanistan and Pakistan is exacerbating day by day. The world has witnessed that only the use of force will not settle the problem. PTI Chief Imran Khan has said time and again that until the US-led Nato forces are there in Afghanistan, the situation will never get better and the world will never see the better side of the picture. The idea of three-pronged policy to snuff off the scourge of terrorism is a good step in this context but the options of rehabilitation through socio-economic uplift and dialogue with no foreign intervention should also be accorded an opportunity to play its role.
