THERE is no doubt that the humiliating UK-US rout in Afghanistan is a colossal victory for the Taliban, and all oppressed nations, and at the least has demonstrated emphatically once again that US imperialism cannot win a land war in Central Asia.
It is now known that the UK was opposed to the shameful rout, but since British imperialism is no longer ‘Great Britain’ the UK had to scuttle out of Afghanistan on the heels of its US master.
However, the UK ‘Paper Tiger’ continues to fight the war with its mouth. In an attack on Britain’s NATO allies, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has hammered the Western military alliance for having neither the wish nor the capacity to stand fast against the Taliban.
Speaking to The Daily Mail, Wallace claimed the UK had tried ‘desperately’ to form a military coalition to support Afghan government forces after the US withdrawal but that the NATO allies just ‘refused to take part’.
‘We tried a number of like-minded nations. Some said they were keen, but their parliaments weren’t. It became apparent pretty quickly that without the United States as the framework nation it had been, these options were closed off”, Wallace told the paper.
His misgivings about the latest Anglo-American retreat from Kabul have been echoed by UK PM Boris Johnson. He admits to feeling ‘apprehensive’ about the future of Afghanistan following the evacuation of British troops after 20 years of deployment to the war-torn country.
‘All of us were saddened, from the Prime Minister down, about all the blood and treasure that had been spent – that this was how it was ending’, Wallace added.
He continued that the option of a ‘unilateral’ British military presence was ‘considered’ but that ultimately this was deemed ‘not viable’ as it necessitated the UK withdrawing forces from other parts of the world.
Wallace concluded: ‘The damage was done with the US-Taliban deal’. His comments come on the heels of sweeping Taliban advances across the country as demonstrated by the fall of provincial capitals in a domino effect.
Meanwhile, the US-backed prisoner swap between Kabul and the Taliban has backfired on the Afghan government as one of its former detainees, a jihadi commander Mawlavi Talib, is now heading the insurgent advance on the key southern city of Lashkar Gah, according to US, Afghan, and Western officials quoted by The Wall Street Journal.
Talib was arrested by Afghan government soldiers in 2020 when attempting to pass through a checkpoint on a road in eastern Helmand.
He was freed just months later, in accordance with the US-Taliban peace agreement signed in February 2020 in Doha with the aim of ending the 19-year conflict. The release of 5,000 Taliban prisoners was part of this deal and an effort to encourage the Islamist group to talk to the Afghan government and negotiate a cease-fire. In fact they rejoined the war immediately!
However, Donald Trump’s defeat in the November US elections did lead to the postponement of the pullout, which was initially scheduled for 1st May 2021.
Biden’s push to reconsider the Doha accords triggered a wave of criticism from the Taliban’s political wing, who urged Washington to remain committed to the deal – or face fierce resistance.
The Biden administration reportedly attempted to renegotiate conditions for a political settlement, specifically downplaying the role of Islamic institutions in the country, something that the Taliban vehemently opposed.
Although the new US president green-lighted the US troops’ pullout by 11 September 2021, the ceasefire deal between Kabul and the Taliban collapsed. Instead, the Islamist group went over to an all-out offensive, while US military personnel started pulling out of the region.
In fact, the US negotiation with the Taliban was not about peace in Afghanistan. It was not about securing some kind of national reconciliation in Afghanistan. It was about withdrawing US forces.
This position emboldened the Taliban who correctly saw an unconditional US withdrawal was an admission of defeat. The Taliban now openly say that the ‘peace process’ was just a cover to enable the US to withdraw from Afghanistan with whatever grace it could muster.
Meanwhile, the Taliban advances to secure its emphatic victory against the invader, occupier, and the number one global imperialist superpower. The Taleban victory will resound throughout the world including the US and UK. It proves that the time is here to fight for and secure the victory of the world socialist revolution.
