Afghanistan, The United States and the Proxy Wars

Afghanistan, the United States and Proxy Wars

Very little is known about the struggle which led to the creation of Afghanistan, the land which engulfed erstwhile Soviet Union and now steadily expunging the incumbent super power the United States.

In 1979, the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan. Given its weak military and administration, USSR believed annexing Afghanistan will be a piece of cake. Afghanistan's neighbor is Pakistan. Pakistan felt the war will be dragged inside it as Pakistan took USSR invasion as an attempt to have an access to Pakistani warm waters. On the other side, the Soviet Union arch-rival the United States stood up to seize the opportunity to wage a proxy war against USSR in Afghanistan with the support from Pakistan. The United States struck a deal with Pakistani establishment, and sooner huge funds and weaponry support started pouring in from the United States. Pakistani establishment drafted plan and helped the Taliban in Afghanistan to defeat the invaders. In 1989, the fall of Soviet Union also led Central Asian States break away from the grip of USSR. Afghanistan, Pakistan and the United States were jubilant on this victory.

As known, the United States is habitual of using others like a tissue paper. Accordingly after defeating its arch-rival, the United States left the deadly trained Taliban on their own. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton confessed in one of her interviews that we actually created these Mujahidin. We recruited them, trained them  and used them. Now we are harvesting what we once sowed. 

After the infamous 9/11 incident, the United States invaded Afghanistan and was facing those whom it once trained. Even after 17 years of war, the longest war in the history, the United States in unable to take over Afghanistan. Still almost 50 percent of Afghanistan is under the control of the Taliban. The United States is continuously sustaining the collateral damage. Now it wants to pull out but the time is not ripe for its withdrawal. Now we are near to witness another fall of Super Power in the remotest of country like Afghanistan.

In one of the recent reports filed by John Nicholson, commander of US forces in Afghanistan, he actually confessed that as we supported the Taliban during erstwhile Soviet Union invasion, now Russia is supporting the Taliban when we invaded Afghanistan. This statement can be taken as a tit-for-tat response for the United States.

Pakistan has its own interest in Afghanistan. Afghan Taliban supports Pakistan; whereas, the United States wants Pakistan to take decisive action against Afghan Taliban. Pakistan believes against attacking the friendly group and also fears that if Pakistan launches an attack on Afghan Taliban, it will soon be confronting more insurgent groups and already 2.5 million Afghan Taliban residing in Pakistan will carry out suicide bombing in Pakistan furthering worsening the law and order situation in Pakistan.

The United States wants to keep its presence in the region. That is why, despite incurring huge losses it is not withdrawing from Afghanistan and the incumbent Donald Trump recently added around 1300 more troops to the US mission in Afghanistan. The purpose to maintain its presence in the region is to confront the ever growing influence of China in South Asia in particular.

As the United States considers India as its ally, it has helped India to cement its place in Afghanistan so that it could create trouble for Pakistan from its western and eastern borders.

All the proxy wars are ongoing in the land of Afghanistan. China also has its meager presence in the mountainous region bordering China. The tug of war for South Asia is being played in Afghanistan. Once considered major non-NATO US ally Pakistan, is no more under the influence of the United States. Recently published US report categorically said that Pakistan is slipping out of the US hands and nearing towards China and Russia.

Now the United States and India have same interests; whereas, Pakistan and China have same interest. Recently, Pakistan and China broke a peace deal with Taliban and Afghan government therefore, further stamping the influence they have in this region. The United States does not have any other option but to retreat.

It is up to Afghanistan where it wants to drive the country. Taliban are not ready to accept the puppet regime led by Ashraf Ghani and backed by the United States. Afghanistan can neither sustain blight ties with its neighboring countries like Pakistan and China. Afghanistan also shares its border with Iran which is also US rival and had fought war with the United States at Persian Gulf. The solution is the complete withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan, and holding of new free and fair elections and the majority party should govern Afghanistan. Otherwise the ongoing war will not be beneficial for any party.