Editor in Chief: Moh. Reza Huwaida Thursday, March 28th, 2024

Why the Interim Government is not welcomed by Afghan People?

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Why the Interim Government is not welcomed by  Afghan People?

In recent weeks and months there were hot debates over interim government and withdrawal or non-withdrawal of the US troops from Afghanistan. The Taliban insists on the interim government and withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan based on the agreement signed between US and Taliban while the people of Afghanistan refuse both emphasizing on responsible withdrawal of the US forces. The position of former US administrator was symphonic to Taliban but the Joe Biden administrator seems taking responsible approach with more symphony to the requirement of Afghanistan. Although the people of Afghanistan have always supported a true strategic deal between the US and Afghanistan, the unilateral diplomacy of Khalilzad, somewhat, caused distances between the two countries. The Afghan government and people see him as architect of a deal that essentially surrenders Afghanistan to a terrorist group. The last step of this surrender will be the matter of interim government which will lead to destruction of everything in Afghanistan.  In this regard, Afghanistan’s former Vice President Mohammad Younus Qanooni on Thursday said that discussions about an interim government at this juncture is intended to pave the way for the Taliban’s comeback. Qanooni emphasized that there are no solid guarantees that the Taliban will accept the elections. Qanooni went on to say that if the peace process does not reach some sort of conclusion, the next option will be a joint defense and national mobilization against Taliban’s ideology.
In general, there are several big reasons why United States should revise its agreement with Taliban. Firstly, given the strategic agreement between the people of Afghanistan and United States, it has an important moral and legal responsibility that should not abandon the Afghan people and leave them in the clutches of the world’s most savage terrorists.  In fact, it is morally and legally imperative that America does not abandon its allies—the Afghan people. America and the world made significant investments in both blood and treasure in Afghanistan over the last twenty years. Close to a trillion dollars spent, thousands of the US and NATO soldiers sacrificed, and over 50,000 Afghan soldiers died fighting to establish democracy, allow girls to enroll in schools, and empower women to participate in society. While the gains are remarkable, they are fragile, nevertheless. A premature withdrawal will certainly result in the return of a Taliban jihadist clerical regime, waste all of these sacrifices and hard-fought gains, and usher in the collapse of the current regional order that will harm America’s national interest greatly.
In the other word, with the US military stationed in Afghanistan, those terrorists have been kept at bay and largely contained for the past twenty years. If the US military withdraws from Afghanistan, those militant groups will be unleashed, mobilized, and once again will destabilize the region with spelling further chaos for the global order. Therefore, the people of Afghanistan neither welcome the interim government nor the immature withdrawal of the international security forces. If such one sided suppositions are taken place, we will not only risk jeopardizing the peace process and democratic values, but also we risk losing the gains we have made in the fight against international terrorism over the last years, and we risk that Afghanistan once again becomes a safe haven for international terrorists. The international community must note that Afghanistan is the global frontline of war against terrorists; if they escape from the frontline, they would lose everywhere.Secondly, the international community, especially the United States should not have forgotten the rapid expansion of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in the aftermath of US withdrawal from Iraq in late 2011. To this day, ISIS and its affiliates remain relatively active in many parts of the world, including Afghanistan, although significantly subdued by U.S.-led coalition forces that were re-deployed to stop ISIS. Therefore, there is a danger that similar withdrawal from Afghanistan could result in a similar catastrophe that would revive global terrorism and embolden dangerous jihadists all around the world. The Taliban and other terrorists will exploit a US withdrawal as propaganda to attract more finances, bolster recruitment, and expand the reach of their cause. Flushed with cash and donations, terror networks will have the financial ability as well as the charm of a presumed victory to attract flocks of dissatisfied, jobless youth from the Middle East, South Asia, Africa, and even Europe, to join their ranks and networks.And finally, the immature and irresponsible withdrawal from Afghanistan will also damage the credibility of the United States. Now, everyone think that the US withdraws to appease the terrorist group which seems a ridiculous solution. Reversely, this will encourage the terrorist and other rivals to flush the internet with big headlines and spicy literature labeling US military with defeat at the hands of a terrorist group. This would harm America’s credibility, taint America’s military, but also affect soldiers’ morale, torment U.S. military strategists for generations, and inflict damage to America’s reputation. Recently, the first Vice President Amrullah Saleh succinctly warned that “the fate, reputation, and standing of the Western Civilization” hangs in the balance in Afghanistan. He added a sobering reminder that the Taliban would falsely label the U.S. withdrawal with “defeat, surrender, and escape.” He emphasized that no one wants a jihadist state to come to power “anywhere in the world, especially if it comes, God forbid, by kicking the Western Civilization and the whole world out.”

Mohammad Zahir Akbari is the permanent writer of the Daily Outlook Afghanistan. He can be reached at mohammadzahirakbari@gmail.com

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