Quitting the Afghan quagmire

The US's 'war against terrorism' in Afghanistan, which began almost two decades ago, has come to an end with American and Nato troops fully vacating the Bagram airbase. Although a few hundred American troops remain in Afghanistan and will leave in the coming weeks, the exit of all foreign troops from Bagram effectively ends major US military operations in the country. Bagram served the Soviets and the Americans during their occupation of Afghanistan. It was the heart of US military power in Afghanistan over the past 20 years, the staging post of its military hardware and personnel in its war against the Taliban, the Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State-Khorasan. When the US-led forces toppled the Taliban regime in end-2001, there was jubilation across much of the world. After all, a brutal regime that had unleashed unspeakable violence on the Afghan people had been ousted. However, the Taliban was far from finished. It melted away and returned to wage a long and brutal insurgency. Looking back, it is clear that the ouster of the Taliban was the easiest part of the US’ two-decade-long war in Afghanistan.

Also read: Why both Russians and Americans got nowhere in Afghanistan

Twenty years after the US ousted the Taliban, the insurgent group is knocking on the doors of Kabul. Its return to power seems a matter of time. If preventing Al-Qaeda from sheltering in Afghanistan was the main stated objective of the US invasion, there is little evidence to indicate this was achieved. Therefore, the US war achieved little militarily. However, under the security umbrella provided by the US troops, some development work did happen. Besides, Afghanistan got a new Constitution, democratic institutions and processes were established and women’s rights took a leap forward. The question is whether the positives of the past two decades will survive the exit of US troops.

Also read: With Afghanistan pull-out, US ditches 'forever wars'

A couple of years after its withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Soviet Union disintegrated. While this may not be the fate awaiting the US on its exit from the country, it is hard to ignore the fact that the US, which was at the peak of its power as the world’s undisputed and sole superpower when it invaded Afghanistan, is not unchallenged today. While there are other reasons for its decline, its failure to defeat the Taliban, a rag-tag army of mullahs with medieval mindsets, has damaged its image in the eyes of the world. The US exit from Bagram has left the world dealing with a strange paradox. The ending of the US military occupation of Afghanistan was long overdue. Yet, its exit from Afghanistan amounts to an abandonment of the Afghan people.