Kathmandu, July 29 – The withdrawal of US and NATO troops from Afghanistan has raised important questions for neighboring countries. Foreign troops are returning and Taliban fighters are gaining ground. Cooperate to bring stability to Afghanistan or turn it into a battleground of regional interests? Neighboring countries will have to decide. This decision will determine the course not only of Afghanistan but of the entire region.
In the current situation, there are indications that the neighbors want to build a battlefield. Regional players are supporting the Taliban and ISIS, which are intensifying their violent attacks in Afghanistan.
To reduce the influence of these forces, the Afghan people will do what they have always been doing: resisting the growing militancy, fleeing abroad or dying.
However, instability will not be limited to the Afghan border. It will definitely spread out of it and destabilize the whole area.
If our neighbors want peace within their borders, they must stop dealing behind the scenes and change the way they look at Afghanistan. They need serious regional cooperation to bring stability to Afghanistan.
In recent weeks, the Taliban have been gaining ground on the battlefield in Afghanistan. He has captured more than 100 districts, and his fighters have seized many provincial capitals. They are still preparing for a major attack.
They have also taken control of some border crossings, giving them the opportunity to raise revenue for goods imported into Afghanistan. They can also stop the transportation of essential goods, creating a shortage of people and pressure on the Afghan government.
The Afghan army was unprepared for this sudden attack, and its morale has plummeted due to weak and divided political parties. Due to which, the army has failed to stop the Taliban’s aggression.
At the same time, ISIL’s Afghanistan branch has expanded its presence and operational capabilities. He is carrying out major attacks in Kabul and other major cities.
At the same time, the production of illicit drugs is still high. According to figures released by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime in May, drug production has increased by 37 percent compared to 2019.
The production and trafficking of drugs has become a good source of income for the Taliban. The nexus with the drug mafia has made him stronger, his dominance stronger than ever. It has expanded its network not only to Iran, Pakistan and Central Asian countries, but also to Europe and East Asia.
If the Taliban’s dominance increases or another major pseudo-war breaks out, the whole region will be destabilized, and the rest of Asia and Europe will be affected.
This will eventually lead to a massive refugee crisis, which will reflect the post-Soviet-Afghan war of the 1980s or the current war in Syria. Turkey and neighboring countries are already experiencing the first wave of major immigration problems.
For the past four decades, the “jihadist” ideology has been growing in Afghanistan. Regional ‘jihadi’ extremists are rejoicing over the US defeat. They will eventually make Afghanistan a strategic area and start their international operations from there.
What could be a greater inspiration than rejoicing in the view that the almighty world power has been defeated? Now, they will convince militant groups elsewhere in the region that they are taking power and promoting violence.
Pakistan is at greater risk than other countries. The rapid spread of violent ideology has already posed a challenge to the stability of this country.
The Pakistani Taliban and other militant groups in Pakistan may launch violent protests across the country in the hope of overthrowing the government and establishing Taliban rule.
Iran could also be at risk once the radical Sunni regime comes to power in its neighborhood. There have been a number of terrorist attacks in the country in recent years, and the failure to quell the rising tide of extremism and terrorism will only increase it.
Meanwhile, the Taliban’s victory will inspire religious extremist circles across Central Asia.
In our case, what was in the 1990s, the Taliban regime, is no longer what it used to be. Culturally and politically, Afghanistan has changed. We have a very educated and aware young generation, the current generation that has not felt the Taliban rule, they do not seem to accept the dramatic regression in the achievements in communication, arts, medicine, education and sports.
We will resist again. However, our neighbors must stop cultivating extremist ideas that do not carry the human values of the 21st century.
If anyone thinks that the Taliban and other extremist groups can be controlled, it is a dilemma. In the end, these groups are motivated by their hollow philosophy rather than rational thinking.
The violence inflicted by the Taliban in recent weeks is similar to that inflicted on Afghanistan during its rule. It’s like ISIL went to Syria and Iraq.
From captive soldiers to the killing of civilians, from government offices to the looting of private property, to the imposition of religious taxes and forced marriages, the group’s chaotic activities show its brutal nature. This does not fall within any of the rules or values of the 21st century, this is the truth.
Published Date : 29 Jul 2021
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