By Lara, OBR Leader in Kabul

From One Billion Rising | Original Article

(Kabul) Recently, Donald Trump announced its long-awaited “new” war strategy to resolve the nearly 16-year conflict in Afghanistan; a conflict, which is multi-layered and multi-dimensional. American-installed puppets (Ashraf Ghani and Abdullah Abdullah), many other high-ranking officials in Afghanistan and Afghan civil society (funded by foreign countries) have welcomed the new strategy, which is not new. The so-called new war strategy is nothing but the continuation of the old strategy which was/is the presence of the American war machine in Afghanistan for an undeclared and unscheduled time for their own strategic goals. The new aspect of the strategy is the new approach of the US regarding India and Pakistan.

The US administration, as one of the main creators of extremists, is well informed on terrorism and terrorist groups and their supporters and creators. Some of the best friends and strategic partners of the US are the best friends of the Taliban, ISIS, and other terrorist and extremist groups in Afghanistan and other parts of the world. This fact is crystal clear. The Afghan people face many enemies inside and outside Afghanistan. Many regional and global powers are engaged in the Afghan conflict. The Taliban are nothing but a pawn in this bloody and prolonged conflict. Taliban field fighters are brainwashed by madrassas that are funded by oil-rich Gulf States, and run by the extremists that are nurtured by the ISI of Pakistan. The love and hate relationship of Pakistan with the Taliban is not a new discovery. The Taliban still enjoy the backing of Pakistan, Saudis and Qataris.

However, poverty, corruption, nepotism, warlordism, kickbacks, and incompetent and infamous Afghan rulers force the most marginalized and vulnerable section of society to join the Taliban. Therefore, Afghanistan dilemma cannot be resolved by the escalation of war and more boots on the ground. More attention and recourses should be channeled and reallocated to the social, economic, and educational aspects of the problem. The US intentionally ignore these aspects of the problem because it demands more developmental and social projects that is not for the benefit of the US long term agenda in the region.

More boots on the ground is serving the long-term global strategy of the US by victimizing and marginalizing the Afghan ordinary people. More troops cannot end the war, but escalate the war. Several US officials, and high ranking military and intelligence officials have themselves stated several times that their presence in Afghanistan is not for human rights and liberation, rather to use the geo-strategic position of Afghanistan against its global and regional rivals. This is a fact that is mentioned by retired US Army colonel, Lawrence B. Larry Wilkerson. “What we have seen right now is a begging of the new great game that it involves China, it involves Russia, it involves the United States and it involves all those people who get in the way in Central Asia. The United States will probably be in Afghanistan, I have said repeatedly, for the next fifty plus years. Because it is the only place geographically speaking in that region from which the United State with high military power can affect China’s …One Belt One Road…,” said Wilkerson.

Also, as we have mentioned before, the US cannot win the war and cannot win the heart of the people of Afghanistan by fighting one terrorist group (the Taliban) and patting, humanizing and decriminalizing the other (Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, the infamous butcher of Kabul). The US backing of the most mercenary, reactionary and criminal elements proves that the US did not come to Afghanistan to liberate its women and people and to bring prosperity. Rather it was to achieve its ominous political and military goals in the region.

Also, the Trump war strategy is seeding more war and destruction because it forces the regional powers to find new partners to stand together and push their own agenda. The US new approach on Pakistan and India is based on the two countries relationship with China. Unfortunately this approach fuels the conflict in the region and destabilizes the already shaky economic, social and political situation of the region.

Until and unless the US and other global powers stop supporting their reactionary and extremist friends (like Saudi Arabia and extremist circles in Pakistan army), take the social and economic aspects of the problem serious, and stop taking the side of the most corrupt and criminal elements and forces inside Afghanistan (the corrupt technocrats and criminal jihadis in Afghan government), stop utilizing extremists for their benefits, the Afghan people would remain the losers and all others the winners of the bloody war and conflicts.