News Analysis |
Former Afghan president,Hamid Karzai has berated the US for allowing ISIS to start,development and proliferate inside Afghanistan.Karzai has often lashed out at the US over the past years and has attributed many mistakes to it.Much of the flak that the US has received is owed to their heavy military footprint in Afghanistan.
He added that apart from watching their growth closely, the US was said to be supplying such groups through helis. He said that locals saw helicopters bolstering those militants in the area.”Our airspace is in American hands.
In an interview to a Turkish channel Karzai said that some militant outfits were created in Afghanistan during US presence.”When it [Daesh] arrived it brutally went into villages, killed people – hurt our identity, tried to destroy our identity. Draw people away from their homes. They committed unbelievable atrocity against the Afghan people. The use was there. Daesh first emerged in Shinwar district of Nangarhar. The United States has a huge base in Jalalabad, in the central provincial capital of Nangarhar. They kept watching it. While the Afghan people kept coming to us and complaining of how Daesh was behaving and doing things,”he said.
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He added that apart from watching their growth closely, the US was said to be supplying such groups through helis. He said that locals saw helicopters bolstering those militants in the area.”Our airspace is in American hands. They have their radar, they have their airplanes, they have the entire airspace – we don’t own our airspace, the Americans own the airspace. So if helicopters were coming I’m sure the American radar saw whose helicopters, from where they came. And if they were non-NATO non-American helicopters, it belonged to someone – how come the US allowed it? And if they didn’t stop it that means they allowed it, and they supported it.So they cannot tell the Afghan people that they didn’t know.The airspace is in their hands. The communication is in their hands.The area is under their complete absolute surveillance.There is no way that they can excuse themselves or offer excuses in this regard. No, we don’t believe it,and they are to blame,” he replied to a question.
The Khorasani wing of the ISIS is gaining ground in Afghanistan despite the employment of the MOAB in Nangarhar in April.Recently, Russia inkled towards US support for the ISIS in Afghanistan.
He went on to thank the US for their help and expressed grief over those US soldiers who lost their lives in Afghanistan.He said that he is against the policy of the US government.”It is the American government and their policy that I stand against. Not the American people. Not their help to Afghanistan where it has been effective – we’re grateful for that. It’s the US government and their policies in Afghanistan that are counter-productive,”he responded to a question.
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The Khorasani wing of the ISIS is gaining ground in Afghanistan despite the employment of the MOAB in Nangarhar in April.Recently,Russia inkled towards US support for the ISIS in Afghanistan.In a statement released by its Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Russia said that unmarked helicopters delivered over 50 armed extremists to reinforce the fighters who were preparing an offensive on Tora Bora, as well as a container full of weapons and munitions.It also called upon the Western media, including American journalists who have published so many reports about Russia’s alleged assistance to the Taliban and extremists in Afghanistan, to take note of this information.US silence on the matter has raised further doubts.
As the turmoil in Afghanistan simmers, the US will have to come to grips with a ferocious Taliban and the ever-brazen ISIS.
Earlier this month Iran’s Supreme Leader also called the US as the force behind ISIS.” “You (the United States) and your agents are the source of instability in the Middle East…who created Islamic State? America … America’s claim of fighting against Islamic State is a lie, “Khamenei said days after ISIS attacked the Iranian Parliament and the tomb of the revered Ayatullah Khomenei.
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As the turmoil in Afghanistan simmers, the US will have to come to grips with a ferocious Taliban and the ever-brazen ISIS. Questions will be asked if the latter goes on to make further inroads, especially if it is based in areas with heavy US military deployment.
Cherry picking and ducking
US’s unwillingness to fight ISIS in a concerted manner raises eyebrows and gives support the views of Russia,Iran and now Karzai. Targeting fighting elements which were on a surge against ISIS in Syria is a case in point followed by its refusal to cooperate with Russia in tackling ISIS are two glaring examples.
Indeed,US war-efforts in Afghanistan, Syria and Iraq give the impression that fighting ISIS is overpowered by the desire to gain more ground in relation to states vying for the spoils of war.Many opine that the US deliberately falls short of going on the full throttle against ISIS.
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Besides,the US has been playing on both sides of the fence. Selling weapons to Qatar,a country labelled as a sponsor of terrorism by Trump is a glaring example of this.Many point out to the blithe US disregard of the Kashmir dispute while embracing India.Terrorism can only be eliminated if it is taken head on through cooperation and that across the board.