Afghanistan Peace Talks to Dupe the People
The US’s envoy to Afghanistan
announced the drafting of a
‘framework’ for the peace
agreement on 28 January 2019.
According to news reports, the
‘framework’ was the result of talks
with Taliban held in Qatar. It is
based on the guarantee given by
the Taliban that it will prevent the
country from “becoming a platform
for international terrorist groups”
upon which the US gradually
withdraws its armed forces in 18
months.
The New York Times reported
quoting the senior official that the
US position is that the withdrawal
of US forces would take place only
after the Taliban entered into talks
with US-backed government in
Kabul and agreed to ceasefire.
This is not acceptable to the
Taliban as its leadership in the past
rejected discussions with puppet
regime in Kabul.
Commenting on the frame the
Washington Post that this
framework leads to the end of war
“on enemy’s terms” Betraying the
political order they (US forces)
defending 17 years at enormous
cost”. It wants continuation of
propping up with bayonets the
puppet regime which it called as
political order.
With
these
underlying
contradictions, whether the talks in
Qatar result in the withdrawal of
14,000 US troops along with 8000
troops from other foreign countries
– remains to be seen.
Yet one thing is clear. The
proclaimed aim of the US
aggression and occupation of
Afghanistan – war on terrorism –
has not achieved. It had to held
talks with the very forces that it
generated and branded as
terrorists.
The real aim of the US
imperialism
–asserting
its
hegemony over the oil-rich region
14
through military means – could not
be fully achieved after 17 years of
war. Russia and China began
dominating oil and gas reserves of
central Asia and Caspian basin.
This US colonial war on
Afghanistan caused monstrous
human and material destruction.
1,75,000 have died as a result of
war. When indirect deaths are
included the figure reaches one
million. Millions have been
uprooted from their homes and
habitat. These deaths also
included 2300 US military personnel
along with 1100 other foreign
troops and large number of private
mercenaries. The savage nature of
this dirty war pushed the US retired
military personnel to suicides, with
suicide rate reaching 29 a day.
In 1978, in an attempt to topple
the Russian-backed government in
Kabul and push back Russian
troops, the US imperialism
provided billions of dollars worth
arms and funding to Islamic
militants. This ultimately gave rise
to Taliban and Al queda. In its
attempt to create “Russia’s own
Vietnam” (as national security
advisor of US, Brzezinski
described) It created Islamic forces
that came to power in Afghanistan.
Unable to woo the Taliban
government with so-called
humanitarian assistance, the US
imperialism resorted to direct
aggression on Afghanistan in 2001
using terrorist attack in New York
and Washington as pretext. This
was followed by war on Iraq in
2003. These wars are not about
terrorism but for US military
dominance over the Middle East
and Caspian basin that are rich in
oil and gas.
The 17-year “war on terrorism”,
which is so far the longest US
imperialist war, was never able to
crush those whom it branded as
terrorists. At any time during these
17 years, the Taliban holds more
territory under its influence than
that of US puppet regime in Kabul.
This war on terrorism
continued to spread instead of
crushing the terrorists. It spread to
Libya, Syria and now to Qatar and
Iran. Islamic terrorism has been
allowed to spread as a prelude to
the countries targeted for
aggression and occupation.
As the war on terrorism lost its
utility because of exposure of US
hand in placating terrorism,
The Trump administration
unveiled the “National Security
Strategy” a year ago. It spelled out
the new axis of US global strategy
as “great power competition” and
countering so-called “revisionist
states” meaning Russia and
China). It is now clear that sooner
or later “war on terrorism” would be
replaced with “countering revi-
sionist states”. A new demon was
propped to replace the old demon
– both are created for public
consumption by the real monster -
US imperialism. The endless wars
unleashed by the US imperialism
can only be ended with the
intensification of anti-imperialist
struggles by the people of world.
As long as imperialism exists wars
are inevitable. The only means to
end wars and bring peace to the
humanity lies in the overthrow of
world capitalist system and esta-
blishment of socialist society.
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