Politics, job requirement and diplomacy led Donald Rumsfeld the United
States Secretary of Defense to Afghanistan last week. He is reported
to have said last Thursday that most of Afghanistan was now secure and
U.S.-led forces had moved from major combat operations to a period of
stabilization and reconstruction.
Rumsfeld also had meetings with Hamid Karzai, president of the transitional
government of Afghanistan and seemed cautiously optimistic about the
achievements of the US military excursion in Afghanistan. The very fact
that he is talking about a period of stabilization and reconstruction
instead of active combat and the hot pursuit of terrorist groups, in
itself reflects the confidence of the US in Mr. Karzai's administration.
How well placed that confidence is, is any ones guess.
Earlier in April in a State of the Country Speech broadcast over government
media, Karzai had given detailed explanation based on data and statistics
on his government's achievements and problems. The speech made him one
of the first Afghan leaders who had based his claims on statistical
evidence. As a politician he had to claim victory and success. As a
shrewd administrator he also had found himself admitting to many problems
that his government has faced and has not been able to tackle. The degree
of realism in that speech was striking although his claims to success
had been exaggerated. In his speech he had named the continued threat
of Taleban and Al-Qaeda elements, the threats from across the Afghan
borders and the insecurity in the country even pointing to his own government's
officials as perpetrators of breech of security and human rights. Reading
between the lines some observers understood his frustration because
of his inability to extend his rule much beyond Kabul.
Security has worsened even more and presently reports talk of renewed
attacks by Taleban elements in many parts of the country and specifically
in the southern provinces of Kandahar, Helmand, Zabul and Oruzgan. In
the south-east clashes have been reported almost continuously while
there have been reports of unrest from the province of Kunar where the
leader of Hizb-e-Islami, Gulbudin Hikmatyar claims to have a considerable
number of followers. He has vowed opposition to the existence of US
troops in Afghanistan and to Karzai's government.
Afghan officials as well as those in Pakistan, including its president,
report that according to the information available to them, Osama Bin
Laden is alive and is in Pakistan. The one-eyed Mulla Omar, leader of
the Taleban is still at large. The government of Karzai finds itself
still in need of support by the International Security and Assistance
Forces as well as the United States troops. By the passage of each day,
the power of warlords, many now ruling big chunks of the Afghan geography,
increases. This happens to the detriment of the central power of the
transitional government of Mr. Karzai.
Government income in the form of taxes, duties and tariffs amounting
to millions of Dollars per year is collected by warlord administrations
ruling the provinces, which control the trade routes in and out of the
country. Among these are included the famous warlords such as Ismail
Khan, the ruler of Heart, Dostum, the ruler of Mazar-e-Sharif, Shairzai,
the ruler of Kandahar, and a few others. Officially these rulers are
called governors and are supposedly appointed by the president unless
a new constitution would decide on either their selection or election
to these high positions. They have so far kept the income for their
own administrations.
Under these circumstances, the American Secretary of Defense proclaims
an end to the major combat in the country and calls the military activities
of the United Sates in its war against terrorism in Afghanistan a major
success. Rumors have it that by June of 2004, the US troops would be
ready to leave Afghanistan. Yet some observers entertain the question
in their minds of whether all these are facts and not wishful thinking.
The original claim regarding the military excursion of the United States
in Afghanistan was to lead a fight for the elimination of terrorists
from Afghanistan, provide a chance for the Afghans to establish a democratic
national government, and to help, vastly and on an international level,
in the reconstruction of the devastated country. Today, we see that
Taleban are regrouping and are in collusion with Al-Qaeda while both
are supported by extremists from across Afghan borders. The former Taleban
Interior Minister is reported to be in charge of the Taleban activity
in the southern parts of Afghanistan, the process of nation building
is slow, the warlords are firmly in control, a national army is still
in the making and a long way from its complete establishment and the
process of reconstruction has not even begun in a serious manner. A
weak central government finds support not from a national army, but
from the United Nations and the ISAF forces. The world and the Afghans
were given to believe that the main guarantor of a return to peace in
Afghanistan would be the United States. The Afghan nation was also given
to believe that a serious international plan such as the Marshal Plan
that brought rebuilding and prosperity to Europe would be taken up for
Afghanistan as well. Now they realize that none of the above has been
accomplished and they are still in want of peace and reconstruction.
While termination of any military action is welcome news especially
in Afghanistan, the Afghans would anxiously look forward to the period
of stability and reconstruction that Donald Rumsfeld the US Secretary
of Defense and one of the closest team members of President Bush has
promised. Mr. Rumsfeld sees a change in the role of the US personnel
in Afghanistan. The change entails giving up of the gun for shovels,
giving up hot battle and shootings for planting orchards and extending
of roads and building of schools. Is this what is going to happen in
Afghanistan now? If so, then the change would be most desirable, but
if not then the US troops would definitely be given the title of "forces
of occupation". Afghanistan needs peace to build a democratic government
and rebuild the country. She needs help for peace, for nation building
and for rebuilding. This help should be genuine, without strings and
should be given urgently. 5/2/03