Politics / Religion

War in Afghanistan: Who Win, Who Lost – Muhammad Tauseef Owais

by Ravi Magazine · Published 22nd August 2021 · Updated 22nd August 2021

War in Afghanistan: Who Win, Who Lost?

“Two armies that fight each other is like one large army that commits suicide.”

— Henri Barbusse, 1916 [The French soldier said this in his novel Le Feu.]

It was past 8:40 am on September 11, 2001 when Flight 11 was hijacked and almost at 8:46 am the flight hit the world trade centre . Just after 15 minutes united flight 175 crashed into the south tower. At 9:37 , American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the pentagon travelling approximately 530 miles per hour. The fourth unfortunate hijacked flight 93 crashed into a field at 10:03 a.m. Approximately 3000 people lost their lives because of these unfortunate.

It was the beginning where the lost of humanity started. It takes two decades to put an end to the war started on September 11.

More than 3500 American and allied soldiers were killed. 69,000 Afghan security forces, 51000 civilians and more than 50000 militants fall to death. Along with this some 20000 Americans injured in these two decades.

Biden stated that “ I was the fourth president to preside over an American troop presence in Afghanistan –two Republican, two Democrats. I would not , and will not pass this war on to a fifth”.

Who started this war and why?

In Osama bin Laden’s November 2002 “Letter to America” he explicitly stated al-Qaeda’s motives for their attacks, blaming the “Zionist crusader alliance and their collaborators” for aggression against Muslims in many countries including Somalia, Bosnia Herzegovina, and the Qana massacre in Lebanon.

Grievances that were mentioned by bin Laden include the presence of US troops in Saudi Arabia, the US support of Israel, and sanctions against Iraq after the latter’s attack on Kuwait.

Laden’s purpose also revolved around changing power equations in the Middle East and triggering regime changes. He was of the view that “America is weak”, given how through the 1980s-1990s the US had withdrawn from Vietnam, Lebanon and Somalia.

America Demand For Bin Laden

9 days after the harsh incident of 9/11, that time President of American George W. Bush demanded the ruler of Afghanistan, Taliban, who started governing Afghanistan after the fall of Mujaheedin in 1996, to deliver the leader of Al Qaeda Osama bin Laden and his partner to America on the behalf of their attack on America.

Taliban denied their demand

This denial led to the invasion of Afghanistan. The beginning of “War on Terror”

On 7^th October,2001 U.S and U.S allied forces declare war on Afghanistan. Initially, they launched air strike attacks against Taliban and Al Qaeda in various cities of Afghanistan which lasted for five days. These air strikes were followed by ground forces . American were quickly gaining success. Taliban were falling and soon their control was diminished on Kabul. But Taliban never left the country. They travelled to mountains Areas and were launching various types of attacks on American. Although, officially American took control of Afghanistan but Taliban never lost hope and were fighting with the world No 1 Army. On one side, The army of World Super with all types of modern war equipment and on the other side, Taliban, with no modern equipment.

Expert were expecting the win of American in Afghanistan in less than one year.

But it took two decades for American with no clear result of win or loss.

Why did it take that long for America?

Osama bin laden death in Pakistan?

On May 2, 2011 at midnight , American raided air strikes in Abbottabad, Pakistan without consulting Islamabad. After the successful air strike American claimed that they have killed Bin Laden. But no one saw his dead body.

Why did America not leave after the death of bin laden? Are there were some other motives too behind American attack on Afghanistan?

After 20 years of fighting with Taliban, the current American president Joe Biden stated that on July 8, 2021

“The United States did what we went to do in Afghanistan: to get the terrorists who attacked us on 9/11 and to deliver justice to Osama Bin Laden, and to degrade the terrorist threat to keep Afghanistan from becoming a base from which attacks could be continued against the United States. We achieved those objectives. That’s why we went.

We did not go to Afghanistan to nation-build. And it’s the right and the responsibility of the Afghan people alone to decide their future and how they want to run their country.”

How much American lost in Afghanistan in these two decades?

According to Brown university Report American lost more than 2 trillion dollars on the war in Afghanistan.

Is it sound well to lose two trillion dollars on war with no clear out put?

Obama, Trump both have announced the withdrawals of Troops from Afghanistan ,but were failed to give a practical shape to their announcement.

But finally, Joe Biden is giving a practical shape to their announcement. Currently, America only control the Kabul Airport of the country in which they invested 2 dollars trillion.