AFGHANISTAN is currently under siege. In reaction to the Taliban’s growing offensive, which has seen the armed insurgents gain substantial territory, the Afghan government imposed a night-time curfew across the country a few days ago.
As US and North-Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) soldiers leave Afghanistan, the Taliban has gained territory and crucial border crossings since May. The US-NATO evacuation is nearly complete, and it is likely to be finished in the next weeks. Meanwhile, the Taliban claims to have taken control of more than 85% of Afghanistan.
The questions
To begin with, how did the Taliban manage to conquer over 85 percent of Afghanistan’s territory in such a short time?
Second, is the Taliban regarded as a terrorist group or not? Which countries have acknowledged the Taliban as representing the Afghan people as a whole, with the exception of Qatar, which permitted the Taliban to create an office?
Between 1996 and 2001, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates recognized the Taliban regime in Afghanistan.
Third, who is supporting them with weapons and funds, as well as logistics and intelligence platforms, and who is supplying the Taliban with these platforms?
Will the Afghan government led by the Taliban be recognized as the legitimate government next?
Finally, what role does the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the United Nations (UN) play in the Afghanistan crisis?
When the Taliban gain control of Afghanistan, the growth of ISIS and Al-Qaeda will be evident. Whether the Taliban will provide refuge to these terrorist groups in order to help them acquire momentum by offering a place for recruitment and training.
Despite having a close affiliation with Al-Qaeda, the Taliban’s relationship with ISIS is less apparent. Because all terrorist groups have the same agenda, collaboration and cooperation between them is not surprising.
The Taliban’s rapid advance, capturing strategic areas in a short period of time, raises the question of whether they are receiving assistance from foreign terrorist fighters (FTFs), such as Al Qaeda and ISIS, whose modus operandi is very similar to ISIS’s capture of territory in Syria and Iraq to Caliphate.
The present danger
The Taliban took control of the Afghan provincial capital of Zaranj in the Nimroz province last Friday. According to France24.com, the insurgents took it because the government was short on troops. Zaranj was also the first provincial capital to fall to the Taliban since the US negotiated an agreement with the Taliban in February 2020 for a troop withdrawal. They said on Saturday that they had taken control of Sheberghan, in the northern Afghan province of Jawzjan.
Meanwhile, Taliban militants assassinated Dawa Khan Menapal, a former top government official, in Kabul, the latest in a string of assassinations intended at undermining President Ashraf Ghani’s government.
According to Afghan freelance journalist Frud Bezhan, the Taliban is conducting an assassination campaign against its detractors, with many of the casualties being civilians like as journalists, human rights activists, cultural personalities, and influential women.
As the Taliban continued to escalate violence across the country, they claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing and gun attack in Kabul’s Green Zone, where the US mission is situated, that killed eight people and targeted Afghanistan’s acting defence minister on Tuesday.
Bestowing to the Taliban’s spokesperson, the strike marked the start of retaliation operations against the Kabul administration’s circles and leaders who are directing attacks and bombings across the nation.
In addition, the Taliban offensive has intensified between them and Afghan troops in Lashkar Gah, the seat of Helmand province, Kandahar and Herat. In the recent week, heavy violence has erupted in two western Herat neighbourhoods, Ab Borda and Hawz e Karbas.
The UN on Afghanistan
The UN has warned that Afghanistan’s current conflict is approaching a deadlier and more destructive phase, with 1,000 civilians killed in the last month during a Taliban offensive, as well as homes, hospitals, bridges, and other infrastructure damaged, according to news.un.org.
The advance of the Taliban in recent months, as per Special Representative Deborah Lyons, head of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), is resemblance of the Syrian and Balkan wars.
She stated that either a serious peace dialogue or a tragically connected collection of catastrophes lie ahead, including an increasingly vicious conflict, an acute humanitarian situation, and escalating human rights violations. She cautioned that the ramifications might go beyond the country’s borders and the Taliban’s attacks on cities are designed to cause significant civilian casualties and harm.
She exhorted the Security Council to grasp the moment and show determination to prevent Afghanistan from devolving into a calamity that would have few, if any, analogues in this century.
She noted that the Afghan authorities, as well as the international community, had had multiple talks with the Taliban over the last three years in order to reach a political agreement. With the huge compromises for peace, she noted, there has been a surge in civilian casualties, with the likelihood of many more when cities are targeted.
She also emphasized the importance of UN engagement through the Security Council to provide support and action for Afghanistan’s people. She highlighted the importance of demonstrating commitment right now.
In addition, the Afghan people feel abandoned by the regional and international organizations. They expect the Security Council to be significantly more engaged and visible in maintaining international peace and security, as the Council is mandated to do.
She also stated that the peace talks in Qatar and the UN Security Council (SC) meeting on Afghanistan should be used to address the country’s deteriorating situation. She encouraged the SC to release a clear statement stating that attacks on cities must halt immediately, and that countries dealing with Taliban leaders should demand a general ceasefire and a return of dialogue.
Furthermore, she stated that the countries must put aside their differences on the Afghan issue and convey a strong message that it is critical to stop fighting and talk, in that order, or else there may be no way to win.
Afghanistan cannot afford another civil war, and the Taliban’s commitment to peace is strongly disputed, as seen by their ongoing massacre of civilians. As Special Representative Deborah Lyons has stated, the Security Council must respond swiftly to resolve the situation.
The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation(OIC) Charter
Afghanistan, Pakistan, Qatar, Turkey and Saudi Arabia are the member states of OIC. This organisation is established in Rabat, Kingdom of Morocco in 1969. The Charter, which can be seen at oic-oci.org, lays out the organization’s goals, principles, and core purposes in order to enhance solidarity and collaboration among the member states. Peace and security, as well as human rights and good governance, are among the main areas.
Furthermore, all Member States’ national sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity must be safeguarded and protected. Another key purpose of the OIC charter is to respect each Member State’s sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity, as well as their right to self-determination and non-interference in domestic affairs.
Even so, Article 1 of this charter stated that it would support the restoration of complete sovereignty and territorial integrity to any Member State that had been occupied as a result of aggression, based on international law and cooperation with relevant international and regional organizations. as well as to foster inter-state relations based on justice, mutual respect, and good neighbourliness in order to maintain global peace, security, and harmony.
The OIC charter is extremely clear about the role that the organization can play in resolving problems between member states, such as those in Iran and Iraq war. The OIC’s hesitancy and lack of commitment in assisting member states during difficult times, such as the crises in Afghanistan and Yemen, expresses concern about the organization’s functionality and significance. The very least they can do is bring the opposing sides to the negotiating table in order to find a solution that is acceptable to all parties. – Aug 16, 2021
Source: https://focusmalaysia.my/the-afghanistan-is-under-siege-with-geopolitical-ramifications/
Comments