Scary

Scary

As the Taliban gain ground, the US and Afghan Govt seem worried about safety and peace.

Does the world need any more proof that the Taliban are in a race against time to capture Afghanistan without having to first come to power? The evidence, however, stares at the world in the form of the United States deciding to send in troops to the country to help airlift American personnel and local allies out of Kabul. It is a case of the Americans both going — withdrawing its troops — and coming — entering the country to help their personnel leave it. The Biden Administration will deploy 3,000 troops at the Kabul airport to facilitate withdrawal of civilian staff from the US embassy. This decision is a clear admission that the Americans are not really sure they can ensure the safety of their civilians without the presence of troops. What is more, a few thousands of American troops will also be sent to Kuwait to be on a standby in case they are needed to evacuate the Americans safely from Kabul. The withdrawal is not going according to the script. The Taliban as of date are said to be planning to attack or already attacking Kandahar and Herat, the two big cities after Kabul. Clockwise from the west, the following cities and towns along the borders of the country have fallen in the last few weeks — Nimruz, Farah, Sar-e-Pul, Kunduz, Takhar, Ghazni. They fall in areas that share borders with Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

Russia’s Tass agency has reported that the Taliban fighters have promised not to attack neighbouring countries and will limit their territorial gains to within Afghanistan. As a precautionary measure, Russia and its six allies will be holding joint drills in the region. It is the capture of Faizabad, capital of the northeastern Badakhshan province, that raised eyebrows as it came even as President Ashraf Ghani landed in Mazar-i-Sharif to rally the nationalist forces in face of a renewed offensive by the Taliban to take the big city in the north. Badakhshan borders two important countries — Pakistan and China. Pakistan, which claimed to broker peace with the Taliban but is charged with supporting them against the Afghan forces, is busy evading the blame by flaying the US for the “mess”. Its Prime Minister Imran Khan has also said the US does not need Pakistan any longer as India is its strategic partner at present. India has correctly ignored the barb but it may imply a new light in which India’s insistence on a peaceful resolution to the Afghan affair is being seen by the world that matters. With all the main international parties either confused or not in a position to lead the pro-peace posse, it may be left to India to ultimately play the role of the negotiator if that is acceptable to all. It is a wait-and-watch situation for New Delhi. There is already talk of the Afghan Government offering to share power with the Taliban in return for peace.