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| Image: Flickr User - DVIDSHUB |
By Ali Reza Sarwar and Moh. Sayed Madadi
The Afghan government is failing to provide its military with the leadership and support it needs.
Fourteen years after its defeat, the Taliban in Afghanistan was able to hold the strategic Northern Province of Afghanistan for at least three days. During that time, the Taliban conducted some brutal ethnic cleansing, carried out prosecutions, killed female doctors, and looted public and private properties, including massive military tanks and ammunition dumps.
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and the office of President Ashraf Ghani’s office confirmed that the Taliban committed crimes against humanity in Kunduz. But the Taliban also sent a powerful political message to the beleaguered Afghan government and its Western partners, namely that its military machine is effective, its hope for forming a repressive Islamic Emirate is undeterred, and the line between Afghanistan’s tragic past and a democratic future – something that Afghans and their partners envisioned in 2001 – is extremely narrow. The country has the potential to return to its past at any time if the situation in the battlefields does not change in favor of the Afghan forces and government.
From a mere military perspective, including the balance of forces, Afghan soldiers enjoy a clear strategic advantage. They have more manpower, better weapons, and are trained and supported by American and NATO mentors. They are widely respected by the people of Afghanistan and are, perhaps, regarded as the country’s best hope for survival. A combination of serious political and military factors are, however, undermining the soldiers’ ability to fight harder and defeat the enemy.
Read the full story at The Diplomat