A country where so many things happen in as short time as the rest of the world never realized how and what happened to this poor people. Until the pandemic of ghost wars haunted the entire world. It is not about September 11, 2001, the virus and disease was infecting and killing innocent Afghans long before even the problem exacerbated to the rest of the world. Here is how and why.
In 1979, when Russians invaded Afghanistan, the world was reluctant to help Afghans defend their country, religion and integrity. Afghans were fighting bravely village by village, till in mid-1880. That was the time when circles in the United States and other western countries convinced that Afghans are capable of what others were not.
In mid 1980s, Afghans were show a green light from the western world in continuing their effort to free Afghanistan from the invasion. In 1988-1989, the results were fruitful; The Soviet Union expelled from Afghanistan, and Afghanistan was not under invasion any more. The entire freedom struggle cost Afghans millions of lives.
Unfortunately, the problem which is still remained unsolved started after the Russians left Afghanistan. The communist regime of the time led by Dr. Najibullah, was still in power. Afghan-Russian war veterans declared themselves the legitimate leaders of the country. Pakistan and Saudi Arabia backed the war-lords in their plans to take over the country’s capital Kabul. However, unexpected most of the communist regimes elements were courted by other war-lords who their own plans seeking majority in a Pashtun majority country. Eventually communist regime was toppled by the elements within the regime. New players appeared in this game of power. Russians did a good job leaving countless stock-piles of weapons, arms and ammunitions, so the Afghans can use them to exterminate themselves, exactly what Russians could not do in 10 years, Afghans did it in a few months of their performance in Kabul city.
Results were absurd, Kabul leveled to ruins, military and political structures were brought to non-existence. People were murdered, forced to leave, and their properties were confiscated. Cities, towns, villages, and streets were seen divided among clashing war-lords. Human rights were severely ignored, and stories of gang-rapes, mutilation, amputation and burning people alive was a day-to-day business in the streets of Kabul and other major cities.
Eventually the chaos opened it is door to a shameful name called “Taliban”, an unfamiliar and strange phenomena that was full of disrespect, hatred, and brutality. The Taliban well conveyed the message of change and difference to the entire war-lord-ism and will remove or expel ethnically motivated rulers from the streets of Kabul. The message was well accepted by majority of Afghans. By the time they took over Kabul, their message was nothing close to what they were claiming on their first appearance. For the Afghans, this meant that there was return of the chaos. They have committed severe brutal acts under the name of Religion. They exploited the religion in order to convince Afghans the adversaries. In reality, they were a group of Afghan and Non-Afghan illiterate, stray and bum elements that nothing would motivate them to join this brutal and inhuman struggle but a few dirty bucks paid by neighboring states intelligence service that sponsor, arm and trained them.
The chaos was getting from bad to worst. Other nations had less or no interest in whatever was happening in Afghanistan. Nothing would about this world’s poorest nation would interest them.
The point is, if these countries would pay a little bit attention to the cry of ordinary Afghans in 1990s or before 2001, then there was a good chance of preventing the September 11, 2001 attacks. Unfortunately that attacks took place, and consequently Afghanistan was occupied and pathetically soon considered a second or third priority when it comes to the importance of the “War against terror”.
Now, after nine years, so little has been done in this country to help the people rise from the Ashes of the national (Afghan-Russian) and civil wars. After nine years, Kabul is still a ruined city that very much looks Berlin of 1944.
Looking into the facts on the ground, it is unlikely to convince Afghans that a USA, or major European withdrawal will keep Afghanistan a stable, safe, and non-pre-September 11 country. The insurgency is growing stronger, the perpetrators, founders, and trainers of Taliban and other brutal groups still have access to the cross border activities. And the Afghan democracy is at its very young stage.
Therefore, I am sure about the deadline announced by President Obama will and should be extended until Afghanistan National Army and other security forces completely get trained, and the political structure becomes a corruption-free environment.
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