The Taliban have declared victory over the United States and are planning to strike NATO forces in Afghanistan. As a result of President Biden breaking a promise to withdraw US troops by the beginning of May.
Biden said yesterday that all foreign forces will be out of the country by September 11. The withdrawal will effectively end America\’s longest war. Twenty years from today, the deadliest terrorist attacks on American soil sparked George W Bush\’s war on terror.
The date of withdrawal is very symbolic, affiliated with the 9/11 incident. However, it is still four months late than the date promised by the Trump administration. Trump promised to pull out 2,500 soldiers by 1st May.
Resultantly, the Taliban have challenged, Joe Biden, saying, \”We will defeat you and take over in Afghanistan.\”
Do the Taliban Secure more Power than the Afghan Government?:
To an extent, this statement of Taliban is true. To put it into perspective, we should see what the local Taliban commanders have to say regarding the situation. Haji Hekmat, Taliban commander, in Balkh district near Mazar e Sharif said in an interview, “the government forces are just there by the main market, but they can\’t leave their bases. This territory belongs to the mujahedeen\”
Across most of Afghanistan, the government dominates the cities and larger towns. On the other hand, the Taliban encircles them and has a foothold in vast parts of the countryside. The Taliban\’s have used this strategy since the USSR invaded Afghanistan. The Soviets never considered the dominance of the rural region in Afghanistan. The Soviets used to boast about their advances in major cities and neglect the power resting in rural areas.
Afghanistan’s main developments took place in urban areas that stopped locals from joining the Taliban, but a large part of rural areas was pushed further into poverty and this gave rebel groups and the Taliban an opportunity to recruit more people, frustrated out of poverty.
The Dominance of Taliban in Afghanistan:
The statement of victory by the Taliban can also be seen in such context that Afghan National Army is not as professional as its enemy Taliban is. According to several reports, ANA lacks not only professional training but also logistics and equipment. On the other hand, the Taliban have been pushing back the NATO coalition as well as ANA in several battles.
Militants demonstrate their dominance by setting up occasional checkpoints along major thoroughfares. Aamir Sahib Ajmal, the local leader of the Taliban\’s intelligence service, informs us they\’re looking for individuals connected to the government as Taliban members stop and query passing vehicles.
