The turbulent political climate in Afghanistan has led to some severe turn of events in the dynamics of global politics. Afghanistan has been a testament to attacks from the outside world and has proven its courage every time. However, the recent shift in the politics of Afghanistan might be a signal of a changed scenario.
Afghanistan was called the “Graveyard of Empires” for its consistent victory over imperial forces. The lust over Afghanistan cost the global powers their resources and reputation and sacrificed Afghanistan’s past, present, and future.
Today, the country’s peace is in the hands of an extremist group called The Taliban, who consider themselves the saviour of the land of Afghanistan.
Let’s take a rundown of how a country got too much attention from the global powers but for no good reason, and things escalated to a state where shooters and goons talk about peace.
The British Brutality
The 19th century was a period of diplomatic conflicts between the British and Russians for power and influence in Central Asia, known as “The Great Game”.
In 1839, Great Britain initiated The Anglo-Afghan War- a series of bloody affairs between the British Empire and the Emirate of Afghanistan to counter the Russian influence in Afghanistan.
The First Anglo-Afghan War, also called “Disaster” by the British, was fought between 1839 to 1842, in which Afghanistan shattered the myth of British invincibility.
The Second Anglo-Afghan War happened from 1878 to1880, and this time the British emerged victoriously.
The Third Anglo-Afghan War of May 1919 led to battles between the British-Indian army and the Afghan army. In a month-long War, Afghans gained control of their foreign affairs.
A peace treaty got signed at Rawalpindi on August 8 1919, agreeing that British India would not cross the Khyber pass, and Afghans also accepted all the British Government’s border agreements.
The Soviet Struggle
Afghanistan’s political order began to break down in the 1970s. The then Government, headed by Mohammad Duad Khan, was overthrown by Nur Mohammad Taraki of the Peoples Democratic Party of Afghanistan in 1978.
The new Government shared close ties with the Soviet Union and launched ruthless expulsion of all domestic opposition that religious Muslims did not like.
Tribal and urban groups collectively known as Mujahideen revolted against it, leading to coups and internal fighting within the Government and between the peoples and banner fractions. Seeing this, the Soviets invaded the country on December 24 1979, by sending 30,000 troops.
The Mujahideen rebellion grew and gathered support from Muslim volunteers known as Afghan Arabs across the world. Many arms and other war materials were shipped through Pakistan to the guerrilla by the US and other countries.
By the late 1980s, the War in Afghanistan began disintegrating the Soviet Union. In 1988 the United States, Pakistan, Afghanistan and the Soviet Union signed an agreement, and the troops withdrew in 1989. Afghanistan returned to its non-aligned status.
The Taliban Tragedy
The Soviet withdrawal led to a chaotic fight between several rebellious factions to grab power in Afghanistan, ultimately leading to the Afghan civil war from 1992-96.
The founder of the Taliban group, Mullah Omar, was disappointed with the non-implementation of Islamic law in Afghanistan even after ousting the communists emerged in 1994 and seized power by occupying Kabul in 1996.
The Taliban gradually turned aggressive in the enforcement of their rules and regulations using armed religious police.
Terrorism gained its roots, becoming a training ground for terrorists harbouring Al Qaeda and other extremist groups.
The American Arrival
Following the 9/11 terrorist attack in 2001 America, US President George Bush held Osama Bin Laden and Al Qaeda in Afghanistan as the primary perpetrator.
When the Taliban refused to hand over bin Laden, it led to a military invasion in Afghanistan by The US and NATO wherein 60 countries would send their troops to fight in what the US called ‘Operation Enduring Freedom’.
Within two months of the US-led attack on Afghanistan, the Taliban’s control of its territory weakened. In 2004, an interim government got formed, but the new Government struggled to secure centralised authority against the Taliban.
In 2011, former US President Barack Obama had Laden killed by US Navy SEALs in a raid on his residence in Pakistan.
Soon after, according to a news report, NATO called back their forces due to war fatigue. However, Obama doubted whether the Afghan military could hold on its own, which prompted him to leave a part of the military back in Afghanistan.
The Taliban Turned Tables
This withdrawal created a vacuum, and the Taliban used the opportunity to regain the control it had lost.
Pakistan nurtured the Taliban, despite its continuous denials to Washington. That helped the group maximise its leverage during peace negotiations with the Afghan Government. By the end of 2018, the Taliban was active in almost 70 per cent of Afghanistan.
US President Trump signed an agreement with the Taliban that sets the terms for a US withdrawal from Afghanistan by May 1, 2021.
The pact includes releasing 5,000 Taliban fighters who have been held prisoners by the Afghanistan government, which is not a party to the agreement.
After defeating Trump in the Presidental elections of 2021, President Joe Biden declared the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan, bringing an end to America’s “longest war” on April 14, 2021.
In the following months, the Taliban seized districts in Wardak province near Kabul and the region of Ghazni, captured several communities in northern areas, forcing military retreats, and took control of the main Shir Khan Bandar border crossing with Tajikistan.
After all American and Nato troops departed from Bagram, Afghanistan’s biggest airbase, the Taliban seized the critical district of Panjwai in Kandahar, the insurgents’ birthplace and former bastion, captured Islam Qala, the country’s most significant border crossing with Iran.
The 2021 August Atrocities
The Taliban captured Zaranj city in southwestern Nimroz “without a fight”. The northern city of Kunduz followed along with Sheberghan, Sar-e-Pul, Taloqan, Aibak and Farah, and Mazar-i-Sharif, followed by Asadabad and Gardez.
They captured the ninth provincial capital, Faizabad, overnight and brought down Pul-e-Khumri. Kandahar, the southern city that saw a lot of fighting in the 20-year war, was seized, followed by Lashkar Gah.
On August 15, the eastern city of Jalalabad was taken over by the insurgents, leaving Kabul the only remaining major Afghan city still under government control.
When President Ghani fled the country, reportedly to Tajikistan, the Taliban entered the capital, eventually taking the position in the presidential palace. In a statement, Ghani admitted the insurgents have “won”, and it was the triumph of the Taliban.
Unfortunately, for the Afghans, the situation is looking very bleak. Their present and future are under constant threat.
The country’s struggle has only begun, and its fight for freedom is yet to start. Will the land that never gave up and stood bravely against its oppressor be able to do this time is a matter yet to unfold.
