Be wary of the Donald Trump sell-out to Taliban

Be wary of the Donald Trump sell-out to Taliban

They invented the excuse of Saddam Husain possessing nuclear bombs and went all out to overrun the country which had actually served as a stabilizing force in the entire region.

FPJ BureauUpdated: Wednesday, July 31, 2019, 09:15 AM IST
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(Photo by Paul Morigi/WireImage)

The Americans were in a great hurry to get into Iraq under President George Bush and his hawkish deputy, Dick Cheney. They invented the excuse of Saddam Husain possessing nuclear bombs and went all out to overrun the country which had actually served as a stabilizing force in the entire region. Sixteen years later, Iraq is still bleeding after the Americans messed it up and went home. And, incidentally, the brutal and bloody end of Saddam Husain propels the North Korean dictator to acquire a nuclear shield against his meeting the same end as Saddam’s. Now, come to Afghanistan. They got into the god-forsaken place to avenge the barbaric attack on the Twin Towers. Long after the chief instigator, Osama bin Laden was eliminated in his safe sanctuary in Pakistan, a country officially fighting the war against terror alongside the Americans, Uncle Sam is still desperately trying to find a face-saver for an exit. What happens in Afghanistan next is deeply relevant to India as well. In order to pull the American troops out of Afghanistan, Donald Trump has roped in Pakistan, the very-same country which has long been in bed with the Taliban, to ease its exit from the longest war the US has ever waged in its history. Now, the US wanting to go home after virtually admitting defeat in failing to eliminate the modern-day barbarians who kill and maim men, women and children indiscriminately to spread terror, has enlisted the help of Pakistan, offering it a few carrots which the latter desperately needs in its rather straitened financial condition at this juncture. However, even while the Taliban negotiate peace with the Americans under the aegis of a third-party in Doha, Qatar, their killing spree continues unabated. Why wouldn’t the Americans enjoin upon the barbarians and their masters in the Rawalpindi GHQ to suspend all violent operations for the time they are talking peace. The US failure for such a simple pre-condition only underlines the desperation of Trump to somehow clinch a face-saver and pull out the US troops before the US elections next year. Though the Americans insist that there is no move to make the civilian government in Kabul irrelevant, and that it would have a honourable place in the power-sharing arrangement now being negotiated with the Taliban, the way the latter have taken their violent campaign to the very seat of civilian power in Kabul would suggest that its days are numbered. Last Sunday, the Taliban attacked the office of Amrullah Saleh, a former intelligence chief and currently vice -presidential candidate in the national poll due in September. Twenty people were killed and 50 injured. The attack was the latest in an unending series of violent acts being perpetrated by the Taliban while its leaders talk peace with the Americans. Clearly, Trump fails to see how the Taliban belittle the American authority.

In this backdrop, it is utter nonsense to suggest that the potential deal with the armed thugs would have a respectful power-sharing role for the civilian government. This is pure balderdash. The fact is that once the Americans get out of Afghanistan, the Taliban would control the entire country, throwing out the civilian rulers in Kabul, and return the god-forsaken land to the dark ages where the women would be confined to their homes as second-class citizens while educational institutions would be shut down and madrasas would impart learning of Quran and precious little else. However, India should be doubly concerned because with the Pakistan-backed Taliban ensconced in Kabul, the jihadi gangs would be directed to turn their attention to Kashmir and create havoc there. Unless the armed barbarians are kept engaged in what they know best, that is to kill and maim at will, there is always danger of their turning attention inwards. In sum, when the Americans pull out of Afghanistan, as they would sooner than later, Pakistan will come to rule this land-locked land of violent tribes and ignorant Islamicists, and use it as a launching pad for steeping up mayhem against this country. Of course, India is not a party to the US-Taliban talks, but it has a deep interest in its outcome.

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