More than 300 Afghans and 24 NATO Soldiers killed in last two days
A fierce fighting is going on between Taliban fighters and NATO forces in Panjwai area near Kandhar city in the south Afghanistan. NATO forces started the offensive on Saturday with the help of warplanes and gunship helicopters. So far 300 suspected Taliban fighters and 24 NATO soldiers have been killed in this battle. 14 British soldiers killed when a Royal Air force Nimrod MR2 spy plane hit by a stinger missile fired by Taliban fighters. Panjwai area is considered strong hold of Taliban fighters in Kandhar province south of Afghanistan. This area has seen heavy fighting before, and several thousand people fled the region earlier this year to avoid being caught in the crossfire. The present offensive is the biggest since the British led NATO troops had replaced the American troops on 31st July this year.
More than 1500 people and 156 NATO soldiers have been killed in last 6 months. The violence has spread across the Afghanistan, but the provinces in south and east are the centre of this violence. NATO military officials and western media posing this violence as Taliban insurgency, which is partially true but there are many other groups involved in this violence. It is true that violence and insurgency has significantly increased in the last few months, but it will be wrong to declare it completely Taliban driven insurgency and violence. There are several small youth groups involved in the insurgency, inspired by the events in Iraq which have no links with Taliban and radical Islam. These groups are conducting a liberation struggle against the occupied forces. These are Pashtun nationalist groups which want to liberate Afghanistan from foreign occupation. The western media is not differentiating between these groups and Taliban. Western media given the impression that every one who is fighting against foreign occupation is a Taliban and thus needed to killed. The articles carried out by the leading capitalist news papers and magazines are creating the impression that Afghanistan is falling to Taliban and Jihad is spreading fast, so we need more troops to handle that danger. The latest report of a British think tank and an article appeared in the Newsweek gave that impression. These reports are exaggerated to give justification to the present military operations conducting by NATO forces.
Is Taliban Threat Real?
Many experts and commentators are repeatedly highlighting the return of Taliban as a big danger. This danger of Talibanisation has been exaggerated by the media and experts. There are few thousand Taliban fighters in Afghanistan. They are not unified force as many think but are divided in many groups. They are not fighting under one command. There are many separate independent groups fighting against foreign troops. In some cases they are not even linked locally. In Kandhar province (the native place of both Mullah Omar and President Hamid Karzai) there are many Taliban groups which are working independently under different commanders. Different groups are operating in different provinces and they all are not linked with Mullah Omar the chief of Taliban.
There is no doubt that Taliban does pose a threat but they do not have the strength to occupy any province and hold the power. They are still quite weak and isolated. They can continue a guerilla war and also cause problems to NATO forces, but they can not continue this intense and high level of insurgency for long. This spring offensive from Taliban will continue for next few weeks. There will be decrease in the attacks during the winter and Taliban fighters will disperse in the cities. During the winter period they will recruit new fighters and trained them to start fighting in next spring and summer. There is no doubt that Taliban has increased their strength in last one year but still they are not in a position to capture any province and control it. The Taliban has some strength in Kandhar, Helmend and Oruzgan provinces. They are better organized in these provinces.
Taliban fighters have changed their strategy after realizing their limited military strength. They are not trying to capture the small towns and villages to bring them under their control, but instead they are using destruction and violence to create a constant fear and threat among the local population. They invade towns and villages and destroy schools, government buildings and police check posts and leave the area before NATO troops arrived. They also beat local people for not having beard on their faces or women without veils on their faces. They want to keep the constant fear of their return to punish the bad Muslims. This strategy is working successfully for them. Under threat from Taliban, the local people never tell any thing to NATO forces about their hiding place. The people are caught between two rival forces, Taliban and other militant groups on one hand and NATO troops on the other. They both use violence, repression and military means to keep people on their sides.
Taliban seems strong because the Central Government is very week. Many War Lords are also supporting Taliban to further weaken the central government. It is clear that they are not going to go away. They are like a persistent infection. But the present increased violence and insurgency have been widely exaggerated. The strategy of US led Coalition forces is providing Taliban opportunities to gain support. The civilian deaths caused by US and NATO air strikes and military operations are fueling support for Taliban. It will continue to grow as death toll will rise.
Anger and Riots
The anger against US coalition forces and unemployment are major reasons for violence in Afghanistan. Social frustration and anger at the arrogance of US and NATO troops has been significantly increased in the cities of Afghanistan including capital Kabul. There are several demonstrations each day in different cities against unemployment, power shortage and other issues. Independent Human Rights Commission of Afghanistan describes the situation in Kabul in these words “There is a big number of youth in the capital and other cities, who are like a pile of gunpowder. They just need an ignition and they can explode any minute. These youth have no trust on the Afghan government and they hate the US troops. The riots and demonstrations have become part of our daily lives. This anger is growing and near to explode”.
The Kabul witnessed the worst riots after the fall of Taliban in 2001 in which more than 20 people died, some few months back. These riots erupted when a US military truck hit the civilian vehicles which killed 5 people. An angry crowd at the scene started pelting stones at US soldiers. The soldiers opened fire and killed 4 people. Violent demonstrations erupted in the city and thousands took to the streets to protest the killings. The whole Afghan capital was chanting the slogans like “Death to America”. The size of demonstration was shocking for the US military and Afghan government.
Afghan journalist Younas Hadi “We are living in dangerous situation. There is no significant change since the fall of Taliban, despite billions of dollars in aid. The arrogant and aggressive behaviour US forces display on the streets increases anger. It is like insult to injury”.
The foreign occupation and Taliban are no resolution to problems faced by the Afghan people, but they are part of problem. There will be no stability, prosperity and peace under these reactionary forces. Afghan people are victims of both. The defeat of reactionary forces is necessary to achieve peace, stability and prosperity. The only force who can defeat the reactionary forces is Afghan working people. Socialism is the only way forward.