Americans Bite Their Fingers over the Taliban

[unhappycamper]

http://watchingamerica.com/WA/2016/03/11/the-americans-bite-their-fingers-over-the-taliban/



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.

Americans Bite Their Fingers over the Taliban
Published in Al-Watan (Oman) on 1 March 2016 by Abdul Alim [link to original]
Translated from Arabic by Lorenz Kottmeier. Edited by Victoria Branca.
Posted on March 11, 2016.

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.”*

~snip~

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.