Afghanistan shows ‘limitations’ of US military, experts say
3 years, 4 months ago

Afghanistan shows ‘limitations’ of US military, experts say

Al Jazeera  

The swift collapse of the Afghan government demonstrates the US military’s inability to engage in nation-building, experts say. The rapid collapse of the Afghan government after 20 years of US support shows the limits of Washington’s military power, several experts have said, boosting arguments against US foreign interventions and “endless wars”. Reliance on force Nawabi said the blunt force approach was the main problem with Washington’s relations with Afghanistan, arguing that the US needs more “soft power” in its foreign policy via aid and development programmes. Calls for oversight Sahar Khan, a research fellow at the Cato Institute, said while the US army remains the largest and most powerful in the world, Washington is “too reliant” on military force. Scott Cooper, a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council and a US military veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, said he does not like the term “forever wars” because of its isolationist connotations, stressing that Washington should remain engaged in the world.

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History of this topic

Afghans still counting costs of US intervention
3 months, 3 weeks ago

Afghans still counting costs of US intervention

China Daily  

Women weave carpets at a factory in Kabul on July 20. More importantly, the subsequent US sanctions slapped on Afghanistan following the Western troop pullout, and the freezing of more than $7 billion in Afghan central bank assets, have further exacerbated the situation, leaving Afghanistan on the brink of economic collapse. Over the past two years, Afghanistan's economy has been …

Afghans still counting costs of US intervention
3 months, 3 weeks ago

Afghans still counting costs of US intervention

China Daily  

Women weave carpets at a factory in Kabul on July 20. More importantly, the subsequent US sanctions slapped on Afghanistan following the Western troop pullout, and the freezing of more than $7 billion in Afghan central bank assets, have further exacerbated the situation, leaving Afghanistan on the brink of economic collapse. Over the past two years, Afghanistan's economy has been …

Afghanistan under Taliban remains ‘permissive haven’ for al-Qaeda: UNSC report
5 months, 1 week ago

Afghanistan under Taliban remains ‘permissive haven’ for al-Qaeda: UNSC report

Hindustan Times  

NEW DELHI: Many nations have concerns about Afghanistan being a source of insecurity for the region even as the country continues to be used by al-Qaeda as a “permissive haven” under the Taliban, according to a new United Nations Security Council report. Taliban security personnel stand guard near a poppy field in Argo district on May 12, 2024 The Islamic …

Treading a pragmatic path: Russia in Afghanistan after August 2021
1 year ago

Treading a pragmatic path: Russia in Afghanistan after August 2021

Hindustan Times  

After the United States and its allies left Afghanistan in 2021, analysts expected Russia to fill the vacuum caused by the withdrawal. As far as Moscow itself is concerned, it would like to establish full diplomatic ties with the Taliban regime while it urges western countries to take accountability and fulfil their responsibilities towards the Afghan people. While these claims …

How the US-Taliban Deal Failed Afghanistan
1 year, 3 months ago

How the US-Taliban Deal Failed Afghanistan

The Diplomat  

After two decades of war in Afghanistan, and the immeasurable sacrifices of the nation’s soldiers, law enforcement, and public officials, Kabul is once again under the rule of the Taliban. As part of the Doha agreement, the Taliban agreed to reduce the violence in Afghanistan, and Taliban attacks on U.S. and other foreign troops steadily decreased, but the group’s attacks …

Afghanistan is ready to work with the US, but sanctions must go
1 year, 9 months ago

Afghanistan is ready to work with the US, but sanctions must go

Al Jazeera  

Afghanistan’s new leaders believe in dialogue and an exchange of ideas. A year and a half after the developments of August 15, 2021, when the Islamic Emirate regained control of Afghanistan, the situation in the country remains extremely hopeful. The government has taken steps to disentangle Afghanistan from the crippling reliance on foreign aid – which defined the political setup …

Op-Ed: What does Afghanistan look like after one year of Taliban rule?
2 years, 4 months ago

Op-Ed: What does Afghanistan look like after one year of Taliban rule?

LA Times  

One year after the United States withdrew from Afghanistan, the country is an even more dangerous place. With the Taliban back in power since mid-August of last year, and its Al Qaeda allies getting a new lease on life, the situation in Afghanistan will get worse before it gets better. As Afghanistan becomes more of a permissive environment for terrorist …

Explained: Why the West cannot afford to ignore Afghanistan
2 years, 9 months ago

Explained: Why the West cannot afford to ignore Afghanistan

The Hindu  

The Taliban's return to power in Afghanistan was dubbed a monumental security challenge for the international community. Regrouping of militants Tamim Asey, the executive chairman of Kabul's Institute of War and Peace Studies and a visiting research fellow at King's College London, told DW that he believes "a lack of international interest" in Afghanistan's crisis could pave the way for …

Taliban say US to provide humanitarian aid to Afghanistan; new political rulers not to be recognised
3 years, 2 months ago

Taliban say US to provide humanitarian aid to Afghanistan; new political rulers not to be recognised

India TV News  

The US has agreed to provide humanitarian aid to a desperately poor Afghanistan on the brink of an economic disaster, while refusing to give political recognition to the country’s new Taliban rulers, the Taliban said Sunday. The US statement was less definitive, saying only that the two sides “discussed the United States’ provision of robust humanitarian assistance, directly to the …

UN and Afghanistan’s Taliban, figuring out how to interact
3 years, 2 months ago

UN and Afghanistan’s Taliban, figuring out how to interact

Associated Press  

It’s been little more than a month since Kalashnikov-toting Taliban fighters in their signature heavy beards, hightop sneakers and shalwar kameezes descended on the Afghan capital and cemented their takeover. “Taliban does not represent the will of the Afghan people,” Afghanistan’s currently accredited ambassador to the U.N. in Geneva, Nasir Andisha, told The Associated Press. “I think for the world, …

Taliban welcomes US measure to allow humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan
3 years, 2 months ago

Taliban welcomes US measure to allow humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan

Deccan Chronicle  

Kabul: The Taliban on Sunday welcomed the US recent measure of allowing the flow of humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan. "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan welcomes the recent decision by US Treasury Department allowing US government agencies along with international and non-governmental organizations and banks to facilitate the flow of food and medicine to the …

US Holds Maiden Talks With Pak on Afghan Crisis, Says Legitimacy of Taliban Will be Defined by Actions
3 years, 3 months ago

US Holds Maiden Talks With Pak on Afghan Crisis, Says Legitimacy of Taliban Will be Defined by Actions

News 18  

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Thursday he believed the world was united on pressing the Taliban after speaking with Pakistan, China and Russia, key players with Afghanistan’s new rulers. Blinken met Thursday on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly with his counterpart from Pakistan, the chief ally of the Taliban regime that was toppled by US troops …

The West is getting Afghanistan wrong – again
3 years, 3 months ago

The West is getting Afghanistan wrong – again

Al Jazeera  

The dust has settled on a chaotic United States withdrawal from Afghanistan. ‘Al-Qaeda is coming back’ Two days before the fall of Kabul, UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace declared that Afghanistan was “heading towards civil war”, suggesting the history of Afghanistan and the fragmented nature of the Taliban movement meant al-Qaeda would “probably come back”. By contrast, the Taliban has …

Beyond Afghanistan: Biden turns the page on war — and the U.S. enters a new era of history
3 years, 3 months ago

Beyond Afghanistan: Biden turns the page on war — and the U.S. enters a new era of history

Salon  

While the pundits and politicians continue to argue about President Biden's decision to end the two-decades-long U.S. military involvement in Afghanistan, many of us are missing the bigger picture — and a very important point: What is the future of our involvement in the Middle East — and by extension the rest of the world? That statement may make the …

Putin says US achieved ‘zero’ in Afghanistan
3 years, 3 months ago

Putin says US achieved ‘zero’ in Afghanistan

Al Jazeera  

Russian leader says 20-year occupation resulted in ‘sheer tragedies and losses’ for Washington and the Afghan people. The United States’ 20-year campaign in Afghanistan ended in tragedies and Washington achieved nothing, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said, adding that the US army’s attempt to ingrain their norms in Afghanistan was futile. Speaking on Wednesday at a meeting with teenagers in …

As the US military leaves Afghanistan, two Americas are on show – and questions about power are swirling
3 years, 3 months ago

As the US military leaves Afghanistan, two Americas are on show – and questions about power are swirling

ABC  

"I believe in America." America's slow unravelling In his book, How to Hide an Empire, historian Daniel Immerwahr describes America as a "violently expansive empire of settlers, feeding on land and displacing everything in its path". George H. W. Bush, under pressure to intervene in the war in the former Yugoslavia in 1992, said the US "is not the world's …

US has moral obligation to aid Afghanistan, Afghan Americans say
3 years, 3 months ago

US has moral obligation to aid Afghanistan, Afghan Americans say

Al Jazeera  

Washington, DC – Afghan-American activist Halema Wali says she receives dozens of texts daily from people trying to flee Afghanistan. “While President Biden triumphs in withdrawing from one of the United States’ longest wars, it leaves behind … US citizens, legal permanent residents, visa holders and at-risk members of Afghan civil society,” Wali said during a virtual news conference on …

Opinion: America’s awful options in Afghanistan
3 years, 3 months ago

Opinion: America’s awful options in Afghanistan

CNN  

Editor’s Note: Frida Ghitis a former CNN producer and correspondent, is a world affairs columnist. While President Joe Biden has committed to ending the 20-year military campaign in Afghanistan – triggered by the Taliban’s refusal to hand over al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden following the 9/11 terrorist attacks – the US will continue to face tough choices there. But …

Afghanistan: How the Taliban's takeover could hurt U.S.-Pakistan ties
3 years, 3 months ago

Afghanistan: How the Taliban's takeover could hurt U.S.-Pakistan ties

The Hindu  

The fall of Kabul to the Taliban has left many people in Pakistan questioning their country's future relations with the U.S. Pakistan's Human Rights Minister Shireen Mazari wrote an article on August 24 asserting that "her country would no longer accept being scapegoated for the failures of others." "Most Americans believe Pakistan's consistent support enabled the Taliban to succeed," Haqqani …

In Afghan collapse, the fall of international relations
3 years, 4 months ago

In Afghan collapse, the fall of international relations

The Hindu  

The heartbreaking images of Afghans clinging on to a United States Air Force plane in Kabul, on August 16, in a desperate bid to flee Afghanistan is a reminder of the fall of Saigon, Vietnam, and the horrifying scenes of American diplomats evacuated by helicopter, leaving behind supporters to languish in re-education camps. But one has to recognise the fact …

The Return Of Taliban And The Arrogance Of Empire
3 years, 4 months ago

The Return Of Taliban And The Arrogance Of Empire

ABP News  

It is less than three days ago that American newspapers, in their coverage of rapidly developing events in Afghanistan, cited ‘experts’ in American foreign policy as being of the opinion that Kabul was not likely to be breached by the Taliban before 30 days. The US mainland had not been attacked since British troops burnt much of Washington DC to …

Assessing fallout of the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan: Possible scenarios and their odds
3 years, 4 months ago

Assessing fallout of the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan: Possible scenarios and their odds

Firstpost  

As the Taliban regime consolidates itself and becomes a regional player, the big question is what implications this will have for India, the region and the wider world The curtain has fallen in Afghanistan: the show will go on. Even though some details of Islamic Emirate’s new order remain undecided—it isn’t clear, for example, exactly who will rule Afghanistan or …

Watchdog describes litany of US failures in Afghanistan mission
3 years, 4 months ago

Watchdog describes litany of US failures in Afghanistan mission

Al Jazeera  

The United States “struggled to develop and implement a coherent strategy” in Afghanistan and the overall picture there is “bleak”, the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction said in a report released on Tuesday. John Sopko, the special inspector general, wrote that any gains “in life expectancy, the mortality of children under five, GDP per capita, and literacy rates” during …

We must all ensure Afghanistan cannot ever, ever again be a base for terrorism: US in UNSC
3 years, 4 months ago

We must all ensure Afghanistan cannot ever, ever again be a base for terrorism: US in UNSC

India TV News  

The US told the UN Security Council that the international community should ensure that Afghanistan "cannot ever, ever” again be a base for terrorism and urged the country’s neighbours and others in the region and beyond to give refuge to Afghans attempting to flee. Attacks against civilians or civilian objects must stop and the human rights and fundamental freedoms of …

America’s Failure in Afghanistan Started 20 Years Ago
54 years, 11 months ago

America’s Failure in Afghanistan Started 20 Years Ago

Slate  

The Afghan army’s swift collapse and the Taliban’s swift takeover of Afghanistan itself are both the result of an arrogance that has plagued American strategy from nearly the beginning of this 20-year war. It started in November 2001, soon after the Taliban were first ousted, when an international conference decided the new Afghanistan would be led by a centralized government …

US Owes an Explanation to Afghanistan's Military over Where did the Slip Up Happen
3 years, 4 months ago

US Owes an Explanation to Afghanistan's Military over Where did the Slip Up Happen

News 18  

The US war on Afghanistan in the aftermath of 9/11 was backed by the largest and most all-encompassing international support ever rallied behind a state going into conflict. Fast forward to August, mere weeks after Biden’s comments, the Afghan military has surrendered or evacuated their positions against the Taliban at an unprecedented pace. What kind of ‘con’ was perpetrated in …

After fall of Kabul, what Taliban’s victory means for India and the world
3 years, 4 months ago

After fall of Kabul, what Taliban’s victory means for India and the world

Firstpost  

America’s withdrawal from Afghanistan comes at a time when it is preparing for a deeper contestation against the power of emerging superpower China Almost in the blink of an eye, Afghanistan changed this week. Ever since 2014, when the United States and its allies ended combat operations—although they continued using air power—the Taliban steadily seized incrementally greater tracts of rural …

What went wrong in Afghanistan?
3 years, 4 months ago

What went wrong in Afghanistan?

Al Jazeera  

Nearly 20 years after United States forces entered Afghanistan, this is what it has come down to: The government has effectively collapsed and President Ashraf Ghani has left the country. Taliban forces established deep footprints and eventual control in districts around the country, including near cities – thereby positioning themselves for the urban offensives of recent days. Biden’s withdrawal announcement …

US says it hopes to see more resistance from Afghan forces
3 years, 4 months ago

US says it hopes to see more resistance from Afghan forces

Al Jazeera  

Pentagon spokesperson says Afghan forces have the military advantage but notes ‘lack of resistance’ to Taliban advance. The United States hopes to see more resistance from the Afghan military against the Taliban, the Pentagon says, stressing that government forces in Afghanistan have the upper hand on paper despite their recent losses. Department of Defense spokesperson John Kirby told reporters on …

12 nations decide not to recognise any govt in Afghanistan imposed by force
3 years, 4 months ago

12 nations decide not to recognise any govt in Afghanistan imposed by force

India Today  

Twelve nations, including the US, India and China, along with representatives of the UN and EU have decided that they would not recognise any government in Afghanistan that seeks to take control through the barrel of a gun, the State Department has said, amid the continued Taliban offensive across the war-torn country. The US Embassy in Afghanistan issued a security …

Afghanistan: US ‘not ready to throw in the towel’ on Afghan talks even as Taliban violence grows
3 years, 4 months ago

Afghanistan: US ‘not ready to throw in the towel’ on Afghan talks even as Taliban violence grows

CNN  

CNN — The Biden administration has continued to back negotiations between the Afghan government and the Taliban, insisting the latter is still invested in the political process and political success is still possible, even as the international community has accused the Taliban of atrocities that may amount to war crimes. “The Taliban is just using diplomacy to hoodwink the US.” …

Pentagon watchdog warns of ‘existential crisis’ and criticizes US ‘hubris’ in Afghanistan
3 years, 4 months ago

Pentagon watchdog warns of ‘existential crisis’ and criticizes US ‘hubris’ in Afghanistan

CNN  

CNN — A Pentagon watchdog report on Afghanistan warns that the country’s government could face an “existential crisis” and offered a highly critical assessment of the US’s strategy and conduct throughout the nearly 20-year war, just weeks before the withdrawal of American troops is due to be completed. “Well we turned the corner so much, we did 360 degrees.” The …

Does military power matter? Lessons from American withdrawal from Afghanistan
3 years, 5 months ago

Does military power matter? Lessons from American withdrawal from Afghanistan

Times of India  

According to Mao, ‘power flows from the barrel of the gun’. And yet, the American military’s ongoing withdrawal from Afghanistan hints that brute military power may no more be a deciding factor in international relations. The world’s largest military power, accounting for 39 percent of global defence expenditure and the best of weaponry, entered Afghanistan on an overconfident note and …

How the US lost the plot in Afghanistan
3 years, 5 months ago

How the US lost the plot in Afghanistan

Hindustan Times  

After two decades, United States President Joe Biden has announced the end of the US’s military mission in Afghanistan by August 31. By 2013, the US and NATO handed over primary security responsibilities to the Afghan National Security Forces, and the US military limited itself to training and special operations missions. For example, India’s attempts at establishing lines of communication …

Troubling prospects in Afghanistan
3 years, 5 months ago

Troubling prospects in Afghanistan

The Hindu  

Last week, on Friday, the United States handed over the Bagram airbase to the Afghan authorities, marking a symbolic end to its military presence, as U.S. forces complete their withdrawal well ahead of the September 11 deadline, announced by American President Joe Biden on April 14. A costly misadventure Could anyone have predicted when the U.S. commenced its military intervention …

Top US general says security in Afghanistan deteriorating
3 years, 5 months ago

Top US general says security in Afghanistan deteriorating

Al Jazeera  

For now, the US has the weapons and capability to aid Afghanistan forces being tested by a Taliban offensive, the US general says. The United States’ top general in Afghanistan on Tuesday gave a sobering assessment of the country’s deteriorating security situation as the US winds down its so-called “forever war”. Miller told a small group of reporters in the …

No military solution’ to Afghan situation, U.S. tells Taliban
3 years, 6 months ago

No military solution’ to Afghan situation, U.S. tells Taliban

The Hindu  

Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield told the Taliban that there is no “military solution” in Afghanistan, as American troops approach a September 11 deadline for complete withdrawal from the country after two decades there. There is only one way forward – a negotiated and inclusive political settlement, through an Afghan led and Afghan own process,” Ms. Thomas Greenfield …

Former president Karzai says US failed in Afghanistan
3 years, 6 months ago

Former president Karzai says US failed in Afghanistan

Al Jazeera  

Karzai says US and NATO troops set to fully withdraw from Afghanistan after 20 years are leaving behind a disaster. Afghanistan’s former president has said the United States has failed in its two-decade mission of bringing stability to “fight extremism” and bring stability to his war-tortured nation. In an interview with The Associated Press on Sunday just weeks before the …

Afghanistan: UN sounds alarm over threat posed by emboldened Taliban, still closely tied to al Qaeda
3 years, 6 months ago

Afghanistan: UN sounds alarm over threat posed by emboldened Taliban, still closely tied to al Qaeda

CNN  

CNN — An emboldened Taliban poses a severe and expanding threat to the government of Afghanistan, remains close to al Qaeda, and believes it can return to power by force if necessary, according to a United Nations Security Council report released on Wednesday. The UN team says that the Taliban is “reported to be responsible for the great majority of …

US envoy: Fear of Taliban conquering Kabul are overblown
3 years, 7 months ago

US envoy: Fear of Taliban conquering Kabul are overblown

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — Predictions that the Taliban will quickly overrun Afghan government forces and conquer Kabul once U.S. and coalition forces have fully withdrawn are unduly pessimistic, Washington’s special envoy to Afghanistan said Tuesday. “On the other hand, you get a military that stays together and a government that stays together.” Rep. Michael McCaul, a Texas Republican and withdrawal critic, asserted …

US general: Afghan forces could face ‘bad possible outcomes’
3 years, 7 months ago

US general: Afghan forces could face ‘bad possible outcomes’

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — Afghan government forces face an uncertain future and, in a worst-case scenario, some “bad possible outcomes” against Taliban insurgents as the withdrawal of American and coalition troops accelerates in the coming weeks, the top U.S. military officer said Sunday. Gen. Mark Milley described the Afghan military and police as “reasonably well equipped, reasonably well trained, reasonably well led.” …

Opinion: The lies that were told to sustain the US and UK mission in Afghanistan
3 years, 7 months ago

Opinion: The lies that were told to sustain the US and UK mission in Afghanistan

CNN  

Editor’s Note: Nick Paton Walsh is the international security editor for CNN International. “No one wants to say that we should be in Afghanistan forever, but they insist now is not the right moment to leave,” said President Joe Biden as he announced that he was overruling his advisers and would withdraw US troops from Afghanistan by September 11 of …

Can The Afghan Army Hold Off The Taliban Without The U.S.?
3 years, 8 months ago

Can The Afghan Army Hold Off The Taliban Without The U.S.?

NPR  

Can The Afghan Army Hold Off The Taliban Without The U.S.? The president said the U.S. will "keep providing assistance" to the Afghan security forces, and reposition counterterrorism forces "over the horizon," to make sure Afghanistan does not once again become a haven for terrorists planning to attack the U.S. "Now, it is well known that the Afghan security forces …

U.S. to withdraw troops from Afghanistan by September 11
3 years, 8 months ago

U.S. to withdraw troops from Afghanistan by September 11

The Hindu  

The U.S. will begin its drawdown of troops in Afghanistan before May 1 and complete the process before September 11, according to a senior U.S. administration official. “We will begin an orderly draw-down of the remaining forces before May 1st and plan to have all U.S. troops out of the country before the 20th anniversary of 9/11,” the official told …

It’s time for the US to make good with Afghanistan (Opinion)
3 years, 10 months ago

It’s time for the US to make good with Afghanistan (Opinion)

CNN  

Editor’s Note: Madeleine K. Albright served as the 64th US Secretary of State under President Bill Clinton. As Covid-19 continues to spread around the world, America’s allies are also counting on the Biden administration to restore leadership, credibility and international partnerships as part of US foreign policy. Following the Trump administration’s agreement with the Taliban last February, a wave of …

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