AFGHANISTAN SITTING ON A POWDER-KEG AFTER THE WITHDRAWAL OF US AND NATO

After the last batch of US soldiers flew down to his land, Taliban militants living in the harsh terrains who were hiding there are coming out in large numbers equipped with lethal weapons started striking at various places and are killing the common citizens in large numbers who wanted a peaceful ambience. The immediate aim of the militants is to dislodge the Afghan govt under Ashraf Ghani. The fear psychosis prevalent among the citizens shot up and a majority, most of them are women and children who are scared of coming out of their residents.

Evenwhile Hamid Karzai was at the helm, the militants struck terror unexpectedly, and launched occasional strikes killing hundreds of citizens. Even they dared to demolish the fortress of Mr.Karzai and others there were targeted and each time they did have providential escapes. Though the Afghan soldiers  chased them and killed some of them others ran away to hide in their safe  havens in the hilly terrain.

The erstwhile Soviet Union was the first to intervene in Afghanistan in the late 1980s   and the Soviet soldiers acted tough on the Taliban militants and Al-Quaeda which is a hard-core militant force.

Soviet Union’s intervention in Afghanistan angered US and the US badly wanted the Soviet Union to withdraw from Afghanistan and US was prepared to go to any great lengths to push Soviet forces out of Afghanistan at any cost. The US govt  befriended the Taliban militants and the hard-core Al-Quaeda which was notorious for launching terror attacks anywhere they wanted. Osama Bin Laden was the unquestioned leader of Al-Quaeda and his deputy Aymen Al-Sawahari who is a doctor hailing from Egypt.  US supported them with finance and logistical weapons.

The Soviet forces numbering about approximately one lakh had a tough time battling against militants. With the bloody game going on and both sides facing casualties Soviet Union wanted to withdraw from the scene leaving Afghanistan in a shambles.

When the US needed the support of the militants and Osama and his men turned the blue-eyed   boys of US.

It was the same elements who took the decision to launch a terror against US and on 9/11. Two to  three planes ripped the World Trade Centre 1 and 2, Newyork, the nerve centre of US, and reduced both of them into a heap of rubble.

It was the first time US became the victim of terror by the militants. A visibly angry  the then US President George W Bush delivered a fiery speech  took a  vow to eliminate the culprits responsible for the attack would be brought to justice. It was  a double whammy to the US which  was proud of being a terror-free country. US with its  wounded ego could identify the culprit behind the attack and without wasting time declared a war on Afghanistan to fish out where the wanted culprit Osama-Bin-Laden hiding somewhere in the outskirts of Afghanistan and to catch him alive or dead.

The war went on more than a decade to nab Osama at any cost.

US never in its dreams had any apprehension that its one time blue-eyed boy Osama would evolve into a Frankenstein Monster.

US forces along with the NATO forces  bombarded Afghanistan  destroyed  the properties including cultural heritages with a vengeance and snuffed out the lives of millions and millions of citizens who feared death at the hands of the US forces and NATO fled for life to other countries and pitched tents. The Red Cross and other NGOs air-dropped food  packets to fill the stomachs of the displaced people thanks to God. Otherwise Gods appeared before them in the name food-packets to let them have the food at one time a day. Due to the lack of sanitation facilities, pure drinking water and inclement weather diseases broke out which claimed the lives of a number of refugees. Aerial  attacks along with ground offences, of both US and NATO forces roamed through the streets and tough hilly terrains where the Taliban militants and Al-Quaeda militants who were suspected to be hiding in their safe havens were bombarded and in the process some of them lost lives both belonging to Taliban elements and al-Quaeda forces  by the US and NATO forces.

Thus a decade of and more period of retaliation the main suspects remained elusive.

In the meanwhile in 2008, George W Bush had to vacate the White House without fulfilling his dream of nabbing Osama-Bin-Laden. Power changed hands and Barack Obama  of the Democratic Party became President and on the question of catching Osama dead or alive he followed in the foot-steps of his predecessor.

Occasional skirmishes between the militants and forces belonging to the opposition continued and suicide-bombers  aiming Indian Embassy, Hamid Karzai’s presidential fortress and churches and mosques, crowds of people and the devotees were aimed at by blowing the suicide bombers themselves.

US and NATO forces were fed up with their killing spree and thought in terms of leaving Afghanistan without their mission coming to fruition. And without delay the initial drawdown the soldiers flew down to their destinations.

After a short span a Pakistan doctor  who was very much aware of the house where Osama-Bin-Laden and his family members were living drew the attention of US stealthily at the Abottabad in Pakistan  near a Pak army camp. US forces without any delay launched  series of drone attacks located his house and sprayed bullets on him and took away his corpse and is believed to have been thrown into an ocean- which ocean no one know’s and breathed sighs of relief for fulfilling their mission successfully.

With the new govt of Ashraf Ghani after Hamid Karsai’s term ended as President who befriended Pakistan by visiting Pakistan and discussed matters of mutual importance and discussed with Prime Minister Nawas Sherif and the very important persons at the helm of affairs returned to Afghanistan. Immediately after visiting Pakistan he visited India and expressed gratitude for generously helping Afghanistan for giving a face-lift to the war-torn country.

Both skilled and unskilled Indians are on a war-footing indulging in infrastructure development- building schools, houses, transportation facilities and the construction of new Parliament building and besides India extended financial assistance. With the withdrawal of US and NATO forces not only Indians working there but the new dispensation itself are sitting on a powder-keg at present  since the militants coming out of their safe havens with lethal weapons to target  the Indians first and the new govt under Ashraf Ghani. Govt of India which grapples with the situation there is expected to ensure the security of Indians.