American Betrayal In Afghanistan (Part -1)
When did the Taliban first taste blood?
Afghanistan has traditionally been a religiously conservative, intolerant society. There was never a lack of radicalized soldiers capable of fighting barefoot with practically little sustenance. All it takes is a call to fight infidels, and thousands of young zealots will line up.
Though they are rational in their way, the outside world is unaware of their heinous methods of operation. It was in 1995-96 that the world first saw their hideous face. They came to power via the use of American money and weapons, and what followed was a shameless dance of death that no civilized civilization could boast of.
The brutal murder of Dr Najibullah Ahmadzai, Afghanistan's ousted president, was a watershed moment in the country's power struggle. With the killing, the Taliban declared their takeover of power in 1996. How Afghanistan's ex-President was hauled from the United Nations complex and gruesomely assassinated demonstrated that the Taliban had no regard for international law or human rights.
The dawn of Taliban rule
With the rise of Taliban authority over Afghanistan, Sharia law, or rigid Islamic laws and regulations, was brutally imposed on Afghani society. As a result, all forms of amusement were prohibited, children were debarred from modern education, guys were required to wear beards, and so on.
This Sharia-inspired law had a significant impact on Afghan women. The authorities prohibited them from obtaining education or working outside their houses, among other limitations that made them second-class citizens.
While the rest of the world stayed silent about the Taliban's atrocities against its inhabitants, the victims' silence supported the ruthless regulations. The public flogging of accused violators, the open execution of offenders, and the amputation of alleged thieves became the norm.
The Taliban administration did not hesitate to perpetrate human and cultural genocide. Despite the international uproar, the demolition of the Bamiyan Buddha sculptures is a prominent example.
Afghanistan became a refuge for terrorists
With Taliban securing control over 90% of Afghanistan by 1998, its cadres, educated, taught, sponsored, and armed at Madrasas right next in neighbouring Pakistan, gradually began to exhibit solidarity with terrorist organizations operating in various parts of the world.
As a result, there has been a large influx of radical Islamic cadres from all over the world into Afghanistan. In addition, funding from Saudi Arabia and weaponry from Pakistan quickly poured into Afghanistan, creating a haven for terrorist organizations to act against other countries.
Al-Qaeda left its mark
Despite rising allegations of terror organizations such as Al-Qaeda plotting and threatening to use violence against modern societies, the world has remained chiefly unaware of the disaster created within Afghanistan. Moreover, while Afghanistan's close neighbours, such as India and Iran, bore the brunt of terror assaults, these organizations stayed off the radar of major international powers such as the United States.
As Afghanistan plunged into the dark ages due to the governance of the Taliban, its land was used by terror groups as a haven to arm, operate and execute their plans. However, small resistance within the Afghan society started brewing against the terror establishment by this time. Here, it is essential to underline that the Afghan community is profoundly religious and divided on ethnic grounds.
The Taliban cadres, who belonged to the largest ethnic tribe Pashtuns (Sunni), endorsed tribal norms and rivalries that helped the Taliban achieve power on about 90% of Afghan terrain. Other tribal groups, including Hazaras, Uzbeks, and Tajiks, endured persecution under the Taliban, as did religious minorities, which fueled instability.
The Northern Alliance, led by Ahmad Shah Massoud, was the Taliban regime's primary opponent within Afghanistan. As the Taliban placed the war-torn country under strict Islamic authority, terror groups linked with the administration incited sectarian killing within and outside Afghanistan.
More significantly, the upheaval in Afghanistan allowed a terrorist organization like AlQaeda to attack civilians and government troops they deemed unIslamic or an impediment to the propagation of extreme doctrine.
The world gradually recognised the horror of the Taliban
Due to political, military, and economic circumstances, the United States, once a supporter and financier of Mujahadeen factions against Russia, has emerged as an arch-opponent of Al-Qaeda. In 1998, Al-Qaeda carried out a suicide attack against American embassies in Kenya and Tanzania to prevent America from intervening in countries designated as Muslim territory. A horrific attack on the World Trade Centre in New York by Al Qaeda-affiliated terrorists followed these.
The demolition of the twin towers on September 9th, 2001, was the defining moment that forced America to commit itself fully to a war against Al-Qaeda led by Osama bin Laden and their patron Taliban.
As the USA threatened the Taliban with consequences to support Al-Qaeda, the wheel has turned full circle. The erstwhile alliance forged between the Taliban and USA was in tatters, and the war between the two sides was on the anvil. The Taliban refused to entertain any negotiations, and the result was the planned invasion of Afghanistan by U.S. forces.
The US onslaught
Afghans who once favoured the Taliban against the corrupt, violent warlords were now reeling under an extreme orthodox regime. The invasion of Afghanistan by the USA and their allies brought a ray of hope among civilians that it will end their tyranny.
Once again, Afghanistan was at the cusp of history, and Afghans were bracing for the bloodshed that has become their destiny. As the negotiations drew blank, U.S. President George W. Bush announced counterstrikes against the Afghan Taliban regime, its military installations and power centres.
The American strikes commenced on October 1st, 2001, against the Taliban establishment in Afghanistan. The main objective of the American attack was to dislodge the Taliban regime and substitute it with a more favourable establishment. The perpetrators responsible for orchestrating the attack on American soil were also actively pursued.
With the commencement of Airstrikes, the ground was being prepared for the next course of action by U.S. ground forces.
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