Afghanistan's Future
"The vigilant Mujahideen of Islamic Emirate have acquired the security plans, maps and other documents related to the upcoming supposed Loya Jirga by means of its personnel embedded inside the enemy ranks. These important secrets have been acquired from two Ministries and from the special security corps of the government. Our upcoming attacks will become even more lethal and precise with the acquisition of such intelligence material." Afghan TalibanWho can doubt the veracity of the claims that the Taliban have infiltrated all supposedly secure areas and personnel of the Government of Afghanistan? From its military to its national police, the ranks of its government workers and leading politicians, there do indeed exist Taliban agents leaking back information to the Taliban leadership, and acting on orders to commit violence and become suicide bombers when the time is right.
The Taliban's record of infiltrating secure areas that are presumably protected from attack is horribly impressive. Their success in the assassinations and murders such as those of Hamid Karzai's half-brother, provincial governors and local officials, as well as President Karzai's chief peace negotiator reflects most effectively their ability to move about and commit atrocities, at will.
The Loya Jirga set for this day, where Afghan and NATO officials along with ISAF members were to discuss the direction of the country in view of future U.S. and other foreign troop withdrawals. Peace talks with thousands of community and tribal leaders were to be on the agenda. The conference was beset with threats and there were some insurgents arrested while attempting to enter Kabul with explosives.
A suicide bomber detonated a bomb belt just outside the entrance to the Loya Jirga site, martyring himself to little avail. During the last Loya Jirga the Taliban had fired off rockets which resulted in a little excitement but no real harm done to the conference attendees. The recent siege of the U.S. embassy compound and NATO headquarters took hours to clear away and demonstrated just how vulnerable these sites are to attack.
With the eventual withdrawal of all foreign troops it can be fairly well assumed that the attacks will accelerate. Even with the growing strength of the country's military undergoing training in advance of the final withdrawal, there are no assurances that the country will be capable of adequately defending itself. Troop desertion, and a general disinterest in professionalism mark the attitude of Afghan men, and corruption remains rife.
As far as President Karzai is concerned, he seems more interested in prolonging his term as president, than worrying about the security of his country. He is prepared to work with some elements of the Taliban, and that should not be too difficult for him, since he and they are of the same tribe, and he is accustomed to working alongside men with blood on their hands; they are warlords in his parliament.
He is certainly not overly concerned that the plight of the women of Afghanistan will once again consign them to the status of unseen, unheard, chattel utterly dependent on the men who own them, again unable to gain an education, to be seen unescorted in public, to be gainfully employed, to have their human rights supported by law.
Labels: Afghanistan, Conflict, Corruption, NATO, United Nations
posted by Pieface @ Wednesday, November 16, 2011
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