GlobalVillageSpace
Media Partner
- Joined
- Mar 4, 2017
- Messages
- 993
- Reaction score
- 1
- Country
- Location
The Afghan Quagmire: Kabul is not the only victim!
Global Village Space |
Saad Yousaf |
Over the last few weeks, the unwieldy Unity government in Kabul has been facing multifaceted challenges. Afghan Taliban’s gains in Northern Afghanistan soon after the Mazar-e-Sharif tragedy are an increasing cause of concern for regional countries especially the Central Asian states and Russia. Regional countries are also perturbed due to the ascendancy of Afghan chapter of ISIS (ISIS-Khorasan) especially in Nangarhar province in Eastern Afghanistan. With the return of former warlord, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, the ethnic cleavages within Afghan ethnopolitical landscape have further exacerbated. It is reported that Vice President Dostum (an ethnic Uzbek) left Afghanistan owing to political differences. We have to thus, carefully analyze the implications of the current Afghan turmoil on regional countries.
Read more: More troops in Afghanistan: A recap of the Vietnam war?
Pakistan
TTP militants who escaped this massive operation sought refuge in neighboring Afghanistan.
Pakistan has over the years evolved its counter-terrorism strategy and had successfully driven out TTP syndicate from FATA close to the Afghan border in a massive military operation, launched in 2014, codenamed as “Operation Zarb-e-Azb”. TTP militants who escaped this massive operation sought refuge in neighboring Afghanistan. In Afghanistan, some former elements of TTP and IMU (Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan) declared allegiance to ISIS leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, thereby establishing Afghan chapter of ISIS known as ISIS-Khorasan. This along with the presence of Mullah Fazlullah (TTP chief) and Umar Khalid Khorasani (JuA chief) in Afghanistan poses an increasing National Security threat to Pakistan.
Read more: US Troop surge in Afghanistan: Will it work this time?
Pakistan’s successful military operations have overall improved the security situation in the country, but Afghan safe havens of TTP, JuA, and ISIS-K continue to remain a challenge. The fact that Americans had arrested TTP leader Latif Mehsud from an Afghan Intelligence convoy also proves that presence of, such safe havens of, anti-Pakistan militants in Afghanistan have an implicit nod from Afghan security establishment. In March 2017, Pakistan had also resorted to cross-border artillery strikes against JuA targets in Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province.
Pakistan even hosted Murree Dialogue in 2015, involving interlocutors from US, China, the Afghan government, Afghan Taliban, and Pakistan.
Pakistan has always believed that Afghan-led peace process and negotiations are the only way to resolve complex problems facing the state of Afghanistan. Pakistan even hosted Murree Dialogue in 2015, involving interlocutors from US, China, the Afghan government, Afghan Taliban, and Pakistan. However, these talks were scuttled by subversive elements within the Kabul regime who deliberately leaked the news of Mullah Omar’s death. The situation further deteriorated with Mullah Akhtar Mansoor being killed in a drone strike by the US.
Pakistan’s concerns are further compounded due to the presence of Indian Intelligence apparatus on Afghan soil and Afghan government’s bellicose posture towards Pakistan. Although Ashraf Ghani early on had focused on rapprochement with Pakistan but ultimately he had to give in to the pressure from hawks within the unwieldy coalition government.
Read more: Will American plan to increase troops in Middle East & Afghanistan be a Self-built graveyard?
Iran
Iran sees the rise of ISIS-K, a direct threat to its national security as it is engaged in the fight against ISIS in Syria as well.
Read full article:
The Afghan Quagmire: Kabul is not the only victim!
Global Village Space |
Saad Yousaf |
Over the last few weeks, the unwieldy Unity government in Kabul has been facing multifaceted challenges. Afghan Taliban’s gains in Northern Afghanistan soon after the Mazar-e-Sharif tragedy are an increasing cause of concern for regional countries especially the Central Asian states and Russia. Regional countries are also perturbed due to the ascendancy of Afghan chapter of ISIS (ISIS-Khorasan) especially in Nangarhar province in Eastern Afghanistan. With the return of former warlord, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, the ethnic cleavages within Afghan ethnopolitical landscape have further exacerbated. It is reported that Vice President Dostum (an ethnic Uzbek) left Afghanistan owing to political differences. We have to thus, carefully analyze the implications of the current Afghan turmoil on regional countries.
Read more: More troops in Afghanistan: A recap of the Vietnam war?
Pakistan
TTP militants who escaped this massive operation sought refuge in neighboring Afghanistan.
Pakistan has over the years evolved its counter-terrorism strategy and had successfully driven out TTP syndicate from FATA close to the Afghan border in a massive military operation, launched in 2014, codenamed as “Operation Zarb-e-Azb”. TTP militants who escaped this massive operation sought refuge in neighboring Afghanistan. In Afghanistan, some former elements of TTP and IMU (Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan) declared allegiance to ISIS leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, thereby establishing Afghan chapter of ISIS known as ISIS-Khorasan. This along with the presence of Mullah Fazlullah (TTP chief) and Umar Khalid Khorasani (JuA chief) in Afghanistan poses an increasing National Security threat to Pakistan.
Read more: US Troop surge in Afghanistan: Will it work this time?
Pakistan’s successful military operations have overall improved the security situation in the country, but Afghan safe havens of TTP, JuA, and ISIS-K continue to remain a challenge. The fact that Americans had arrested TTP leader Latif Mehsud from an Afghan Intelligence convoy also proves that presence of, such safe havens of, anti-Pakistan militants in Afghanistan have an implicit nod from Afghan security establishment. In March 2017, Pakistan had also resorted to cross-border artillery strikes against JuA targets in Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province.
Pakistan even hosted Murree Dialogue in 2015, involving interlocutors from US, China, the Afghan government, Afghan Taliban, and Pakistan.
Pakistan has always believed that Afghan-led peace process and negotiations are the only way to resolve complex problems facing the state of Afghanistan. Pakistan even hosted Murree Dialogue in 2015, involving interlocutors from US, China, the Afghan government, Afghan Taliban, and Pakistan. However, these talks were scuttled by subversive elements within the Kabul regime who deliberately leaked the news of Mullah Omar’s death. The situation further deteriorated with Mullah Akhtar Mansoor being killed in a drone strike by the US.
Pakistan’s concerns are further compounded due to the presence of Indian Intelligence apparatus on Afghan soil and Afghan government’s bellicose posture towards Pakistan. Although Ashraf Ghani early on had focused on rapprochement with Pakistan but ultimately he had to give in to the pressure from hawks within the unwieldy coalition government.
Read more: Will American plan to increase troops in Middle East & Afghanistan be a Self-built graveyard?
Iran
Iran sees the rise of ISIS-K, a direct threat to its national security as it is engaged in the fight against ISIS in Syria as well.
Read full article:
The Afghan Quagmire: Kabul is not the only victim!
