US U-Turn: Afghans' Suffering Now Has No End

There is no end in sight for the suffering of people in Afghanistan because the Pentagon regime plans to keep its occupying troops in the war-torn country for five more years.

News ID: 443764

Date: 05 March 2019 - 16:03

RNA - Under the new plan, ongoing US-Taliban peace negotiations, designed to end the 18-year war, has a new proposal, with the Pentagon regime having finally offered a formal plan for withdrawing US forces from Afghanistan. The plan would have half of the 14,000 US troops leave Afghanistan within a matter of months, but then the rest would stay for as long as five years – and maybe longer.

It is wrong to assume that the end of the five years would see not only all US troops out of Afghanistan, but also NATO troops. The US has in the past made similar plans to withdraw all its troops but to no avail. There is no reason to think this time it will be otherwise.

And it’s not clear what the Taliban’s position is. That might be a tough sell for the Taliban. After resisting a US occupation for 18 years, the Taliban’s demand is to get the US out of the country, and while the logistics of that might take awhile, five years is a very long time.

If anything, such a long time is likely to raise fears that the Pentagon regime is intentionally dragging its feet specifically to give US officials time to change their minds and dishonor the deal, and keeping thousands of troops inside Afghanistan means President Trump, or his successor, could end up continuing the endless war.

Based on the U-turn in Trump's policy toward Afghanistan, therefore, it is time to recognize the importance and contribution of the United Nations and the international civil society to end America’s endless war on Afghanistan. The new US approach is ominous for the Afghan people, and will inevitably lead to further increases in civilian casualties. According to a report by the UN assistance mission in Afghanistan, deaths of Afghan women and children in the conflict reached a new high for the first six months of 2018.

Every day that the US military stays in Afghanistan is indeed a victory for the Taliban and terrorist groups like ISIL and Al-Qaeda. The calculation couldn’t be simpler. More people will be killed. And the war, President Trump says has cost American taxpayers, minimally, $7 trillion dollars, with no end in sight will create greater costs in the next five years.

Indeed, every day the Afghan war and the others that have followed from it continue is but another triumphant day for the War Party in Washington and the Military-Industrial Complex. The wrongs the warmongers have committed, and continue to commit, in Afghanistan will not be righted until Americans begin to reject the madness of their government’s rampant militarism, bloated military, and endless war.

As the Trump administration adjusts its five-year strategy toward Afghanistan, the critical issue that will determine its success or failure is how Afghans - from ordinary villagers to leaders - perceive US intentions and deeds. Earning the Afghans’ acceptance and support requires that the policy itself resonate with them.

That policy should therefore be geared toward fostering peace and reconciliation, reinstating farming, and rebuilding businesses, infrastructure, and commerce. Above all, a greater effort must be made to inform and consult Afghans at all levels and at every stage of the policy process. Last but not the least, all this should lead to a full US troop withdrawal.

Far from it, the recent US strategic shift is designed with a significant new focus to prolong the Afghan war and make it possible for American and NATO soldiers to occupy Afghanistan forever. Afghan leaders and people should reject this plan outright. It is in no way designed to end America’s 18-year war.

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