US two-decade struggle in Afghanistan and a claimed war on terrorism resulted in an outcome the only proves a failure in Afghanistan. Two decades of war simply led to the insurgence of the groups that the extinction of whom was the ultimate goal.
When journalists questioned Joe Biden about the upcoming evacuation of the final American soldiers from Afghanistan, he simply said he’d rather talk about happy things. It’s no surprise that he tries to shift the subject. For the past two decades, the United States has been battling in Afghanistan.
Washington has spent almost $2 trillion on the conflict. It lost thousands of its own forces besides killing hundreds of thousands among Afghan troops. All in vain as proved by an abrupt withdrawal and indicated the US failure in Afghanistan.
Al-Qaeda apparently instigated the war by plotting the terrorist attacks from Afghanistan. The group no longer holds a significant influence in Afghanistan, but it is still a fire under the ashes. ISIS and other terrorist groups have a similar condition in Afghanistan signaling a military failure in Afghanistan after two decades.
Taliban extremists, as the incubators to Osama bin Laden, have made a terrifying resurgence. They control roughly 80% of the mainland in Afghanistan and mean to take over the rest. The pro-Western administration that has been nourished by American lives and assets is rotten and on the decline.
Taliban and the US-backed government have been working on a peace agreement on surface. The agreement must entail militants to put down the weapons and actively join in a reform democratic system. Robust economic and military assistance for the government may result in a power-sharing arrangement. The process must also include containing the supporting groups and states for Taliban like Pakistan. This scenario, while slim in possibility, has disappointing outcomes.
Failure in Afghanistan
Taliban’s attempt to overthrow the administration is more probable a scenario than any potential agreement. They’ve already taken over major parts of countryside, leaving government institutions primarily in downtown. Government troops are deserting their positions in face with an imminent collapse and following hazards. Thousands escaped to Tajikistan from the north-eastern borders during past weeks.
The Taliban has yet to conquer and control the cities. They lack the personnel to occupy the cities. They’d rather stifle the administration instead of confront it head-on. The tide is obviously in their favor further indicating the US failure in Afghanistan.
The civil conflict is expected to worsen with the Taliban exploiting their superiority and Kabul battling for survival. Alternative regional players like China, Russia, Iran, and Pakistan, will try to replace the United States.
In a country that has been ravaged by conflict for more than 4 decades, the outcome will be even more catastrophic. America, in fact, is abandoning a country of nearly 40 million people to a gruesome end; An all-out failure in Afghanistan.
The departure is, in any case, still a disaster for Afghanistan. Many people believed that America would stop their 20-year civil war and liberate them from a claustrophobic, dogmatic theocracy in 2001. For a while, it appeared like this might be the case. However, after twenty years, the lives of people in Afghanistan is more unsafe than ever before. Civilians now die 30% more as a result of violence and extremism than 2001. The US failure in Afghanistan, nevertheless, isn’t limited to the devastations of the country through the years. The nation-building project, using contractors, private sectors and economic activists of Afghanistan, also found no different outcome. The US lost the game on both sides: Afghanistan is less secure; US interests are less secured.
