nato wraps up its flag from afghanistan by brig gen muhammad aslam khan niazi, phd

8/9/2019 Nato Wraps Up its Flag from Afghanistan by Brig Gen Muhammad Aslam Khan Niazi, PhD

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NATO Wraps Up its Flag from Afghanistan

Dr. Muhammad Aslam Khan*

History is a fine mirror, particularly among the war opponents where cognitive dissonance

plagued them deep all along. Thirteen years ago, US pre-attack psy-warfare effort depicted a

shirtless herculean-looking merican !", kneeling and wielding his knife as if US was a#out to

mow down their opponents in a #low. Tali#an along with l-$aida were dancing to cele#rate, on

seeing another prey rushing for the trap called fghanistan on the heels of the Soviets. %o one in

US &o& #othered to take cue from history that remains kind to fghans when they are ready to

spill their own as well as others #lood. Time scale means nothing to them.

#out '() years ago, *ritish rmy supported #y native forces in the "ndian su#-continent

invaded fghanistan. Several #attles during +irst and Second fghan ar, won and lost #y #oth

sides, made it a#solutely clear that fghans, fanatically loyal to their soil, could not #e ruled #y

the alien forces. t one point of time, !eneral o#ert, recommending swift withdrawal, wrote to

the iceroy of "ndia, less they /fghans0 see of us, the #etter, even though he had won the #attle

near 1a#ul. That was an era of e2tensive coloni3ation when 4uropean ma5or powers were

competing to secure ma2imum territories in sia, frica and South merica. "t inspired 6enin to

compile a ta#le, proving that the 4uropean powers wealth was directly proportionate to the

volume of territorial e2pansion overseas. He even proved that their num#er of #anks could #e

accommodated in the same thum# rule. *ritain was certainly a Super 7ower, em#roiled in a

conflict on the western #orders of its "ndian 4mpire. The people who stuck out to challenge its

might were again fghans.

The *ritish 4mpire finally chose to stay put at the line which later #ecame known as &urand

6ine /named after Sir 8ortimer &urand0, now separating 7akistan and fghanistan. "n the !reat

!ame of '9th and :)th ;entury, ;3arist ussia was rushing south through ;entral sia #ut opted

to halt at present fghan northern #orders #y '


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period, Tali#an insurgency could not #e flushed out even #y employing massive technologically

superior forces, touching a peak of '?),))) troops /"nternational Security ssistance +orce@

"S+0 of which US had the ma5or share. Some see even l-$aedas thinning out from

fghanistan as their superior strategic orientation to reappear in 8iddle 4ast /"raA in particular0,

where US reversals were o#vious, to #anish its forces from "raA. &iscovering that attack on "raA

could not achieve its o#5ective of reconstructing "raA, US had second thought and announced

mission accomplished.

hile the US pu#lic remained highly skeptic of US claims, the media did give it a #reather #y

portraying a very lucrative forces diversionary destination to #e pivoted in sia-7acific.

4ncapsulated within the same design, a charming slogan #randed as fghan Surge emerged

which in fact amounted to reinforcing a failure that the strategists always warn against to #e

lured in to this option ever on the #attlefield. The entire maneuver was aimed at Auelling the

domestic criticism a#out failure in "raA and managing damage control of the myth of US military

might invinci#ility. ;lose to withdrawal from "raA, some la#eled it retreat, even !eorge . *ush

acknowledged "raA mistake, not mentioning some loud and similar comments made #y US

military commanders.

hen US winds up its mission from fghanistan along with %T= allies, there are rival claims

to victory from each side. "f one grants victory to USB"S+, one needs to focus at the flag

lowering ceremony when the onus of responsi#ility to defend fghanistan has #een shifted to

fghan rmy with US residual force of around '),))) staying in Southern fghanistan for

esolute Support. +or any power of significance, it is natural to defend retreat that Tali#an have

claimed to force on "S+. The impact of left-#ehind "S+ force in fghanistan is destined to

dilution when simple arithmetic is made the #asis of vetting its efficacy. %ote that if '?),)))

troops could not flush Tali#an, how a fourteen times smaller force would keep fghan rmy

energi3ed to restore peace in fghanistan. s e2pected, Tali#an attacks when "S+ forces were

thinning out, in the final phase within last three months have #ecome more freAuent and deadlier.

*en Tufft of The "ndependent reported, CThe ceremony held to mark the end of the %ato

mission in fghanistan was held in secret due to #om# threats, prompting critics to Auestion

whether the allies o#5ectives in the country have #een met.D =ne sees another small dance party

among Tali#an who would swoop on the left-#ehind garrison, making their logistics a critical


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issue. The force is likely to remain virtually #ound to the heavily defended parameters of the

garrison and yet face causalities.

The kind of odds that Eohn 1erry negotiated to let a system of governance emerge in fghanistan

in the wake of Auestiona#le general elections was remarka#le #ut the sooner he left, fghanistan

remained vulnera#le to two leaders, shraf !hani and #dullah #dullah, wrangling for greater

influence. s the fghan society is fiercely divided on the ethnic #asis, it is likely that the power

#rokering intensifies when #oth would muster their ethnic supporters in the field as show of

muscles. "n other words, 7ukhtoons and Ta5iks standoff would #e imminent while Tali#an

would hammer #oth. There is a #leak #ut possi#le scenario that 7resident shraf !hani, #ecause

of his 7ukhtoon antecedent manages to #ring Tali#an to the dialogue ta#le and interestingly that

hypothesis is the only hope for any recovery in fghanistan.

US, llies and their pu#lic would sound far removed from the reality if they stick to their state of

denial #y refusing to accept that victory has remained elusive, costing them trillions of dollar and

thousands of young soldiers. Similarly Tali#an claim to victory would also sound a#surd even

though they sacrificed seven times more of their militants. Had the terrain advantage and civil

population shield not #een availa#le to them, they would have #een massacred #y the superior

"S+ forces. "f on Tali#an side, achieving victory over %T= forces was #eyond their prowess

#ecause of incompati#le military potentialsF their opponents were #ound #y their own pu#licsopinion and war ethics to fight Tali#an with surgical precision, once in a while violation

notwithstanding. Therefore such conflicts, like the conventional wars, cannot #e measured with

ultimate clear yardstick called victory. t #est, %T= can #oast to have introduced reforms in a

manner that have diluted wide spread Tali#ans war making appeal to fghan masses to some

e2tent. Hu#ertus Hoffmann sounds over-optimistic, maintaining, C+or me the glass is a#out three

Auarters full. The Tali#an lack the support of the peopleF have no via#le vision for the future of

the country. 8ore #om#s drive 5ust the people away from them.The fghan rmy and police are

fighting considera#ly well.D

=n the other hand, Tali#an can claim to have proved hard nuts for "S+ forces #y resisting

superior forces and surviving through conduct of shrewd guerilla warfare. hen victory slogan


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appears as misnomer, one hopes that the two sides would pay heed to what *en5amin +ranklin

had said long ago, CThe things that hurt, instruct.D orld now e2pects the native parties in

fghanistan also to have mercy and co##le up effective governance for the emancipation of their

future generations.

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*

Dr. Muhammad Aslam Khan is aretired Brig from Pakistan Army, served 32 years. A veteran of !"#! $ndo%Pak

&ar' has (een instru)tor in offi)ers' Pakistan Military A)ademy, )ommanded Divisional as ell as +ors Artillery.

-olds first )lass Masters degree in $nternational elations and PhD degree, a)/uired in 2002%200# from 1niversity

of Peshaar, Pakistan. Authored a (ook, rites fre/uently in national and international media. -as attended several

seminars and )onferen)es ithin the )ountry and a(road on invitation. ravelled to it4erland 5ti)e6, 1K, 1,

1A7, Kingdom of audi Ara(ia, 8ermany 5ti)e6. +am(odia and hailand. 7mail9 dr.makni:";yahoo.)om

nato wraps up its flag from afghanistan by brig gen muhammad aslam khan niazi, phd

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