Afghanistan caught in crossfire

Apropos 'The confused US withdrawal from Afghanistan', by Maj Gen Mandip Singh. It is clear beyond any doubt that the US zeal on fighting a Global War on Terror (GWOT) is getting progressively diluted and weakened as evident from its plans to leave Afghanistan for good, leaving the responsibility and burden of protecting country's territory to Afghans, who are not yet trained fully to take on the deadly onslaught of ISIS and Taliban. The US and European forces leaving Afghanistan in limbo, without meaningfully ensuring the Afghan army to be ready for any eventuality, is akin to the exit of the Russians from Afghanistan, few decades ago, in the wake of unprecedented Taliban attack against the occupied forces that seemed impossible to tackle and overcome, in view of the terrain and weather conditions prevailing in the region.

The Taliban attacks were routine, even when the well-entrenched US forces presence in Afghanistan, innovative ways of destruction were selected by ISIS to target building, military and police training camps and women's educational intuitions, with impunity and deadly precision. In fact, ISIS and Pakistan based Taliban abetted these jihadi activities, in Afghanistan as Taliban wanted no development and progress to take place in Afghanistan, in order to spread fear, and expand the terror zone well beyond Pakistan, so as to make its entry easy into India. There is news that J&K will witness Taliban orchestrated terror activities in a big way, to place a heavy burden and responsibility on the security forces.

It cannot be forgotten that Indian stakes are enormous in Afghanistan in terms economy, in revamping and revitalising the country, not to be a perennial battle ground for sectarian clashes and warlords in the region who are ready to leap at one another's throat for whimsical reasons - and the flourishing 'arms bazaar' in the region where it is easy to get any latest automatic rifle and RPG for a price, to make terror and jihadi activities more easy.

One can clearly follow the happenings in Afghanistan, watching Al Jazeera new channel about the progress that is being made by the Taliban forces that are succeeding in capturing one village after another in the aftermath of US and British soldiers leaving Afghanistan. There is also news of some Afghan soldiers joining Taliban, while the Afghan army is poised for a long battle with Islamists and other radical forces who are hiding in the hills.

The task proves extremely onerous as a result of no air support available to the forces, the control of which had rested with the US forces. The situation definitely brings mirth to Pakistan's face as it is along expected agenda, that is being contrived and worked out it, since India is involved in Afghanistan irretrievably. India has established itself as a reliable partner of Afghanistan in improving infrastructure in the country - building schools, hospitals and the parliament there.

K R Venkata Narasimhan, Madurai