Editor in Chief: Moh. Reza Huwaida Friday, March 29th, 2024

Wars in North Should be Taken Serious

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Wars in North Should be Taken Serious

Seeking news, reports, officials’ statements, newspapers and social media, I have found out no more than the pain and shouts of some individuals on Facebook and reports in foreign media about the current war in Afghanistan’s northeast. It reflects two facts: either one does not bother himself to write a piece for underestimating this war or the military significance of this area has not been realized.
The catastrophic wars, which have destroyed homes, in several parts of the country come as political leaders are haggling and wrangling over gaining power in central government and speak surprising words. Similarly, the northern political leader are highly depressed. Meanwhile, one of the top controversial state’s opponents have been escorted with military convoys, including air and ground armored vehicles, while entering Kabul and welcomed by the National Unity Government (NUG) and called a step towards peace process.
The war was started in Salang and spread to Baghlan, Kunduz, Khaja-Bahauddin, Darqad, Ashkashm and Zeibak close to Wakhan. The enemy ridicules the officials and those claiming resistance against the Taliban.
In recent years, the war has been transferred to the north which will be a new game for those who trigger and engineer the war. Afghan government should adopt a wise and careful stance regarding this politics and does not allow them to spread the war in every nook and cranny of the country. War will burn the nation, if it breaks out in any parts of the country. War has painted the eastern and southern parts of the country with the blood of our youths. If a Pashtun’s arm was amputated in Helmand, a Hazara’s leg was cut in Kandahar, too, and so on.
The Taliban, along with other terrorist groups, are believed to change the geography of the war through destabilizing north so as to provide a relative peace for the areas close to Pakistan. Political pundits believe that insurgents seek to continue war with the support of regional intelligence. They, however, dream on since the main players widen the realm of insecurity and the ground for their game. In short, the players’ aim is to burn the center amidst war and violence.
The voice of people about nightly suspicious flights and helicopters and emergence of unknown armed individuals in mountains and deserts in north fell on deaf ears. The high-ranking northern officials, who were rewarded for fighting against the Taliban, neglected this event for urging for gaining power or land in return for their brave fighting. Perhaps, they were seeking power in Kabul or were engaged in discord and joined different groups for competing against one another.
The aforementioned factors paved the ground for the Taliban to compound their militancy through assassinating jihadi leaders and stoking sectarian, factional and linguistic tensions. Moreover, they fished in the troubled waters through revealing moral and administrative corruptions, the usurpation of lands, and violation of people’s dignity with impunity mostly carried out by local officials. Enemy’s strategic points for destabilizing the country are below:
Political Maneuvering Zone
Strengthening the foundations of governance; mobilizing the state’s human resources in all areas including economy, natural resources, business, borders, underground developments which have connected Afghanistan with regional and global trading route and put the country under the focus of foreign investors. Afghanistan will be undermined in these areas with escalated insurgency and widen the enemy’s political maneuvering zone.
Northern mines: the government still does not have full control over some mines in the north mainly in Badakhshan. Those mines are exploited and used by local officials supported by high-ranking officials of the central government. War and violence will smooth the path for such uses.
Control of Some Ports
Some ports located in Badakhshan, Takhar and Kunduz are one of the resources of outcome for anti-government groups. The terrorist groups try continuously to gain the financial resources. Hence, they have been drawn to north to provide their financial needs.
Escalating Ethnic Conflicts
the Taliban’s activity in north will escalate ethnic conflicts. The Taliban’s ethnic identity will outweigh their terrorist, ideological and mercenary nature with the extension of battle field. The northern war will, on the one hand, highlight the ethnic alignment and, on the other hand, will give the Taliban the opportunity to recruit from east and south more than ever.
Recruitment from Neighboring Countries
a large number of our neighboring countries’ citizens live in the north. Their presence in the north and having battlefields in the border of our northern neighbors will give the opportunity to recruit from Middle East and enable them to orchestrate for destabilizing those countries located there.
The presence and empowerment of terrorists in north will involve other countries in civil unrests. Earlier NATO and U.S had military presence there. However, the Syrian incident indicates this fact that the terrorists’ presence in north will pave the ground for Russia and China’s interference. Currently, Ashkashm, Zibak, Darqad and Kunduz have been changed into battlefields. If such places fall to the Taliban’s control, Chetral, which was the terrorists’ former safe haven, will also join. Chetral is somehow far from Tajikistan’s control with mountainous borders and will be counted a threat to China’s border considering the rebellious inclination in Kashghar and its surroundings.
The extension of instability in northeast: considering the record of extreme insecurity in the northwest (Faryab and Badghis), the extension of conflicts in northeast will make the crises of war uncontrollable.
Hence, a vast and an immediate mechanism should be adopted in eliminating war in the north. In addition, this opportunity should not be provided that a number of individuals arm people and organize battlefields under the pretext of combating terrorism. Such possibilities are not improbable and the formation of irresponsible armed groups will be no less dangerous than terrorism.

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