If there is an overriding message from the Taliban attack on the United States Embassy and NATO’s headquarters in Kabul, it is that the tragedy in Afghanistan, scripted to a large extent by the Americans, is no nearer ending than it was two, five, or ten years ago. The U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan shrugged off Tuesday’s assault, which lasted 20 hours and left at least 11 Afghans dead, as “harassment rather than a direct attack.” He would. Over the last few months, the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) has made out that it has successfully diminished the Taliban’s fighting capacities. Such spin enables the U.S. to claim a victory of sorts as some 30,000 of its troops are pulled out of Afghanistan, in keeping with the withdrawal President Barack Obama has promised by 2014. In some areas, including Kabul, ISAF has handed over to Afghan security forces. But Tuesday’s attack, and two previous attacks on well-protected high-profile targets in the Afghan capital — the British Council in August and the Intercontinental Hotel in June — have exposed the extreme fragility of the country’s security. It strengthens the hands of those who want western troops to remain in Afghanistan. There are bound to be fresh doubts now about the other part of the U.S. strategy — talking to the Taliban, or some sections of it. The U.S. accusation that the attack was the work of the Pakistan-based Haqqani network has only underscored the enduring complexity of getting to peace in Afghanistan, a full decade after “Operation Enduring Freedom” was launched in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
In these 10 years, the U.S.-led war has taken a horrific toll of civilian lives and welfare. In a report released in July, the United Nations estimated that the violence in the country claimed the lives of 1,462 non-combatants in the first six months of 2011. While the report attributed most of the deaths to “anti-government elements,” it held security forces responsible for 14 per cent of the deaths, with air strikes as the main killer. Even for a country that has known no peace for more than three decades, such high civilian casualties are difficult to absorb. Afghanistan’s double jeopardy is that the violence is certain to continue as long as western troops remain on its soil, but it has no mechanisms in place to ensure security and stability if and when those troops leave. The so-called end-game in anticipation of the American pull-out has only increased the bloodshed as the players — Afghan, regional, and international — compete to entrench themselves and outwit one another.
Keywords: Kabul U.S. Embassy attack, Operation Enduring Freedom, 9/11 terrorist attacks, Afghan invasion, war against terror, U.S.-Afghan relations, Taliban
The role of US in Afghanistan peace establishment is deceiving. US is exploiting Afghanistan far more than USSR did back in 90's. Terrorism is one of the indirect weapon used by US against USSR during cold war and now they are using it to make whole world unstable especially Muslim countries so that they can grab their natural resources for self prosperity. Nothing will change unless US changes itself.
Whatever the Americans say it won't be an exxageration to call the the US misadventures in Afghanistan and Iraq as grossly incalculated moves. To blame the Haqqani led Taliban is just an excuse to escape the blame.
Even though many things are not right in Afghanistan, your conclusions and blaming everything on the Americans is not correct at all. Taliban has been considerable weakened. Also, there has been a dramatic improvement in the life (in general statistical sense) of a common civilian in the country. What about all that!
And as already pointed out in a comment, it was not "scripted to a large extent by the Americans", but the Soviets.
The Afghanistan misadventure has not changed the world; it has distorted and defaced the civil and human face of the world. Taliban’s ability to carry out this multi-target and multi-location but finely coordinated operation in the Afghan capital lays bare the depth of the U.S.-NATO failure in the country. Nearly a decade into the U.S.-NATO occupation of Afghanistan no section of the country is secure; not even the heart of the capital. Apparently only six Taliban fighters kept Afghan and NATO forces engaged for over twenty hours in the Wazir Akhbar Khan district. Do these attacks suggest that fate of the NATO forces in Afghanistan is not going to be any different from that of the USSR? Shrewd Taliban strategists are employing the same tactics which were used to economically bleed the Soviet Union. Michael F. Scheuer, a former CIA intelligence officer, rightly depicted bin Laden as a rational actor who is fighting to weaken the United States by weakening its economy, rather than merely
Your perception and argument is true till some point but this is not the exact picture of Afhganistan. Al qaeda has been hit hard,predators has made life of Taliban miserable,their communication has broken. After Osama they look weakest...for survival suicide bombings is the only option and also to convey message that they exist and can do some harm.Exactly same they are doing.It's true that US is looking desperatly for way out but not which will defeat it's aim.A general feeling among Nato's allies is that if required they should be ready to stay longer.
The albatross around Afghanistan's neck will only be removed by the wheels of time.Destruction devastates the destiny of residents of a country.Attachment with the infamous terrorists and terror groups has to be detached to shape the future of Afghans.
My guess is that the U.S. will shrug this off and continue with the planned withdrawal of its troops. There is lot of sense in not getting involved in the Afganistan imbroglio. A more rational approach for the U.S. would be to leave Afganistan to its own fate and to ensure that the Taliban terrorism is not exported to the shores of the U.S. Now that the U.S. has killed Usama and Al Kayeda is no longer the force it used to be, no fruitful purpose would be served by the U.S. continuing its engagement in Afganistan.
Afghans will fight bitter battles when the foreign occupiers and their vassal followers leave Afghanistan. They will fight and in a short time a victorious party would emerge and they will rule Afghanistan. If better sense prevails instead of fighting, they will fight it for ballots. In any case 10 years of occupation has fallen way short of any body's expectations and it is not serving Afghan People's interests. Why not end the occupation and give Afghans a decent chance to set their house in order. Occupation, bombings has not brought peace or prosperity to the people so why are the foreign troops doing there? What is their purpose?
You say... “it is that the tragedy in Afghanistan, scripted to a large extent by the Americans". The original script was written by the USSR. During its ten years of occupation, in addition to killing more than one million Afghans, the USSR is responsible for the genesis of the terror outfits that are holding the world to ransom today. When its supermarket shelves became empty and the rouble became worthless, the USSR withdrew from Afghanistan. This adventure led to its disintegration -- the U.S should draw lessons from this.
Over the past few years, bombs have been blown up in Afghanistan even though an elected administration exists for the country and its people. Afghanistan has been targeted for years and what once was a flourished land has become the home for human atrocities backed by drones and warplanes that mostly occupy its skies. The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato) and the US need to seriously review its strategy in Afghanistan to turn the country to normality in all aspects. Perhaps the success would be to bring those engaged in fighting to the table and make an attempt to resolve the crisis that continues affecting the society. It is almost similar to what is happening in Libya, Yemen and other countries where the government and opposition are battling for justice. The continuous attacks on ordinary civilians who have no role in the so called unrest or uprising are a shame on humanity.
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