The worst terrorist attack in Afghanistan since the us invasion in 2001, serves as a grim reminder of how difficult the decision to be Donald Trump, thinking about the increase in the number of American troops in this longest war the United States.
The explosion of the bomb truck, which on Wednesday in the diplomatic quarter of Kabul killed 90 and injured 450 people showed in a difficult situation is the US-backed Afghan government controlled only 24% of the territory of their country, fighting the growing Taliban and opposed to the threat from ISIS (banned organization in Russia — approx. TRANS.).
Trump has to find a balance between their pre-election objections to armed intervention, claiming American lives, and fears about the fact that the regional rivals America Russia, Iran and China will outsmart US, Recalling how Empire-rival in the 19th century during the “Great game” fought for control over the region.
Generals trump’s claim that if, in addition to send to Afghanistan from three to five thousand American troops to advise and train Afghan security forces, the US will be an important impetus in the fight against extremism, and will be able to find a way out of the impasse. This confirms the General John Nicholson, commander of us forces in Afghanistan.
But the American President once already postponed the decision on strengthening the grouping of troops, not becoming to heed the General’s advice. A long-awaited government review of American policy in Afghanistan is still not over.
“The Pentagon used the change of presidents, — said a senior research fellow at the Royal United services Institute for defence studies Shashank Joshi (Shashank Joshi). — It’s like he’s telling Trump: President Obama was too cowardly. And you seem person quite hard. Is this true?”
The state Department stressed that in its policy review, it seeks to find a sustainable political solution of the problem.
“A policy review on Afghanistan and development options at the discretion of the President continues. This multifaceted analysis, and while it has not been completed, the United States actively support the Afghan government, diplomatic and military means. They are also working to achieve other goals, in finding a lasting and reliable political solution to the conflict,” said a senior state Department official.
In 2011, the number of U.S. troops peaked at more than 100 thousand people. But now it was reduced to 8 400 people, and America was in this position that she has to fight for influence with Russia and Iran.
In 1980-e years Soviet Russia during his unsuccessful invasion of Afghanistan fought with the Taliban, but now it is in favour of negotiations and political reconciliation with the group. The US and the Afghan government, such attempts have so far refused.
“The Taliban is part of Afghan population. It is hard to imagine that without them the conflict could be resolved”, — said last month Russian foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, stressing that the long American intervention has only exacerbated the terrorist threat, with the arrival of ISIS in Afghanistan.
USA in response to the claim that Afghans overwhelmingly against Taliban who are violent methods, forcing the population to a radical version of Sharia, and note that think about their inclusion in the political process only if the Taliban recognize the Afghan Constitution and renounce violence. Previous attempts have failed because the Taliban demand a complete withdrawal of all foreign troops from Afghanistan.
Moscow, completely denies that it is arming the Taliban, have used the incident this week with a terrorist attack involving a suicide bomber (the Taliban refused to take responsibility for the attack), and condemned the words of Lavrov, “double standards” and “geopolitical game” in Afghanistan.
NATO stopped cooperation with Moscow on Afghanistan after the Russian intervention in Ukraine in 2014, but critics claim that Russian assistance to the Taliban aimed at weakening the US and NATO.
The United States has not accepted the invitation to participate in the April negotiations on the Afghan conflict, held in Moscow under the mediation of Russia. But there were representatives of Iran, China, Pakistan, India and Afghanistan to discuss the situation and ways of its settlement.
“The Russians are just trying to put a spoke in the wheel of the United States, preventing around what makes America,” said former German diplomat Thomas Ruttig (Thomas Ruttig), now head of the analytical organization the Afghanistan Analysts Network. “This is revenge for revenge,” he said, referring to the consequences of the rivalries of the cold war.
U.S. concerned that Russia and Iran can provide material support to the Taliban. General Nicholson said that Russians openly trying to provide the Taliban legitimacy, and does not exclude the fact that they are arming this group. Beijing denies reports that it is conducting military patrols in Afghanistan.
Lavrov, for his part, hinted that the US can arm ISIS in Afghanistan.
Although the offers US no ideas about sending troops, they still represent “a serious change of strategy,” said an expert on Afghanistan from the Center for strategic and international studies Anthony Cordesman (Anthony H. Cordesman). He added that the Afghan army is currently unable to protect the country. However, Cordesman stressed that all efforts to achieve peace inhibits weak, divided and corrupt government, which for ten years and failed to undertake serious reforms.
A political solution without the use of military force will necessarily require cooperation with the Afghan neighbor and an unreliable US ally Pakistan, which is constantly accused that he secretly supported the Afghan Islamic militants to try to weaken India’s influence in the region.
“Even if you increase the number of troops, not draining the swamp, nothing will change,” said former Indian Ambassador to Afghanistan Vivek Katju (Vivek Katju). He noted that the swamp “is in Pakistan.”
The Ambassador of Pakistan in USA Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry (Ahmad Aizaz Chaudhry) expressed hope that Pakistani government that the United States under the review of its policy will come to the conclusion about the necessity of cooperation with Islamabad to develop a “comprehensive political strategy” for Afghanistan.
“Pakistan believes that the negotiation process carried out by the Afghanistan, is the best solution to the Afghan problem, as military solution to this complex conflict does not exist,” the Ambassador said.
Your story gave Farhan Bukhari (Farhan Bokhari).
