USA went to Afghanistan to deliver justice to those who attacked them on September 11th 2001 and to disrupt terrorists seeking to use Afghanistan as a safe haven to attack the United States. They now believe that the US has achieved that objective some years ago. They judge the threat against the Americans homeland now emanating from Afghanistan to be at a level that US can address it without a persistent military footprint in the country and without remaining at war with the Taliban. But what is more evident is:-
- All rumours originating from local,Afghan and enemy channels are false about use of Pakistan Airspace by US B-52 Bombers? In case US makes such a mistake Pakistan has otherchoices to adopt......????????
- Even a planned, hasty or staged withdrawal as the US administration has promised, will hardly eliminate that original threat of terrorism or the many other, often deadly, challenges that have emerged since America's arrival.
- Doubtlessly between now and September, Biden and his top diplomats have been making their most valiant efforts to ensure a peace that can last beyond America's departure.
- Indeed, there may even be some elements who will do their best to negotiate a deal with Afghan Govt. that can be presented to the American people as a face-saving victory and happened to pave the way for a rapid withdrawal of US forces. But history can be guide on tricky diplomatic matters such as these.
- Needless to say there is a substantial difference if America is to find a path forward in Afghanistan. In Vietnam, the communists never attacked the American heartland. They had a simpler goal: to seize control of their homeland from colonial interlopers first the French after World War II, then the Americans?and later?the containment of communism in Asia. Eventually, Soviet communism collapsed and China had little need for Vietnam to expand its influence in Asia, so the threat this Southeast Asian nation posed to democracy all but disappeared.
- Afghanistan is a modern clash of civilizations and faiths. The Taliban are a group founded on a deep belief in Sunni Islam and?follow an austere version of Sharia, or Islamic law. Afghanistan is a nation that the Taliban has been lusting to govern for two decades -- one where, under their previous rule, accused adulterers?were hanged?in public squares, where thieves had their?limbs cut, where women had to?shroud?from head to toe in Pardah, and where dirty television?along with rap music and obscene cinema were banned. Where religious freedom, gender equality and all forms of non-collective & averse to faith expression were disallowed?
- USA intervention enkindled a shared animosity that antagonized the Taliban to give aid and support to the terrorist group al Qaeda.It was al Qaeda's attack, more than any one element of the Taliban's extremist and repressive rule that finally propelled the United States to intervene. As such, America needed to maintain some presence in this desperately unsettled nation for a long time in the past as much as politicians on both sides of the aisle may not want to.
- After two decade the world realized that there is no military solution to the problems plaguing Afghanistan, and US wanted to focus all efforts on supporting the ongoing peace process. And that means putting the full weight behind diplomatic efforts to reach a peace agreement between the Taliban and the Afghan government. But there are many, even within the Democratic Party, who are not persuaded.
- The U.S. having put in too much to bring stability to Afghanistan to leave w/o verifiable assurances of a secure future of Afghanistan Biden's plans began circulating. It undermines US commitment to the Afghan people.
- The indicators shows that without a viable peace agreement, coupled with a sustainable cease-fire, there will be little incentive to curb the operations of Taliban’ in Afghanistan going forward. "These issues," it cautions, "could become even more pronounced if US forces are no longer in country. There are news of even more ambiguity that the United States can "deal with" al Qaeda, should it emerge in the future, "both directly and by holding the Taliban accountable through all the tools at their disposal." These tools, it would seem, are likely to be precious few, once the troops are gone. Yet such a scenario of resurgent terrorist networks supported by a hostile, Taliban-controlled government remains a distinct possibility should the US forge ahead with its planned September withdrawal this year.
?2 .After a rigorous policy review, President Biden has decided to draw down the remaining U.S. troops from Afghanistan and finally end the U.S. war there after 20 years.?The President was deeply grateful for the honor, courage, and determination of the U.S. men and women who have served in Afghanistan for almost two decades, as well as the sacrifices made not just by those troops, but also by their families. No doubt when he came into office, the Biden administration inherited a number of things: the lowest number of U.S. and partner forces since the early days of the war; an agreement between the United States and the Taliban to draw down all U.S. troops by May 1, just three months after Inauguration Day; as well as a military stalemate between the Taliban and Afghan forces. President Biden asked for a review of genuine, realistic options to advance and protect U.S. interests, and a review that would not and did not sugarcoat the likely outcomes.The President and his team consulted with his Cabinet, members of Congress, the Afghan government, NATO Allies, partners who are still serving alongside the United States in Afghanistan, as well as other donor nations, regional powers, and former officials from both parties here in the United States.What emerged was a clear-eyed assessment of the best path forward that:-
- There is no military solution to the problems plaguing Afghanistan, and US will focus its efforts on supporting the ongoing peace process.
- That means putting the full weight of US government behind diplomatic efforts to reach a peace agreement between the Taliban and the Afghan government.
- US coordinated with NATO Allies and partners about a drawdown of their forces in the same timeframe: beginning before May 1, ending before the 20th anniversary of September 11th.
- US have told the Taliban in no uncertain terms that any attacks on U.S. troops as we undergo a safe and orderly withdrawal will be met with a forceful response.
- The United States decided to remain deeply engaged with the government of Afghanistan, committed to the Afghan people who have made extraordinary services and extraordinary sacrifices during this conflict.?They’ll stand behind the diplomatic process, and US will use their full toolkit to ensure the future that the Afghan people are seeking has the best chance of coming about.
- US will also look to work with other countries using diplomatic, economic, and humanitarian tools to protect the gains made by Afghan women.?
- US will encourage any future government in Afghanistan to expand resources for refugees and internally displaced peoples while also working with Congress to expand and expedite Special Immigrant Visas for those Afghans and their families who supported U.S. efforts in Afghanistan.
- US is not taking our eye off of the terrorist threat or signs of al Qaeda’s resurgence.?They do not currently present an external?or do not currently possess an external plotting capability that can threaten the homeland.?But this is something that we have to focus on: its potential for reemerging in the years ahead.
- US have to continue relentlessly to work to prevent Afghanistan from again becoming a base from which terrorists can attack the United States.
- ·In coordination with our Afghan partners and with other allies, we will reposition our counterterrorism capabilities, retaining significant assets in the region to counter the potential reemergence of a terrorist threat to the homeland from Afghanistan, and to hold the Taliban to its commitment to ensure al Qaeda does not once again threaten the United States or our interests or our allies.
- US will refine our counterterrorism strategy to monitor and disrupt terrorist threats to the homeland and to our interests
3. This is not 2001; it is 2021 and in 2021, the terrorist threat that US faced was real and it emanated from a number of countries indeed a number of continents — from Yemen, from Syria, from Somalia, from other parts of Africa’s have to focus on those aspects of a dispersed and distributed terrorist threat, even as they keep their eye on the ball to prevent the reemergence of a significant terrorist threat from Afghanistan through their repositioned counterterrorism capabilities. Joe Biden deeply believes that in contending with the threats and challenges of 2021, as opposed to those of 2001, USA need to be focusing energy, resources,?personnel, the time of US Foreign policy and national security leadership on those threats and challenges that are most acute for the United States i.e
- On the challenge of competition with China?
- On the challenge presented by the current pandemic and future pandemics?
- On the challenge posed by this much more distributed terrorist threat across multiple countries?
- And that doing all that stated above requires US to close the book on a 20-year conflict in Afghanistan and move forward with clear eyes and an effective strategy to protect and defend America’s national security interests??